Another animal species with rabies found in Taiwan  

繼鼬獾后錢鼠被確診 臺灣出現跨物種感染狂犬病

(ECNS) -- Taiwan's agriculture department has confirmed that an Asian house shrew caught last Wednesday was infected with rabies.

The Asian house shrew, also known as a money shrew, was found in a house in the southeastern county of Taitung.

The infection follows 14 cases of animals with rabies, all ferret-badgers, found in the region by Tuesday.

Experts say shrews live close to human habitation, making it easier for them to pass on rabies to humans.

Taiwan citizens have begun panicking over the outbreak, and the local police station received nearly a hundred calls when a dead ferret-badger was found on a road in Anle District.

Two civet cats, which had slipped into a village in Pingtung County, were beaten to death by villagers for fear the animals carried rabies, a report said.

Local agriculture departments have complained of not having enough staff to catch wild animals found by citizens, and have turned to the local fire department for help.

Abandoned dogs and cats have increased by 30 percent in Taiwan, a local newspaper has said. Officials in the region have called for vigilance, as rabies can be prevented among pets if they are vaccinated.