Any person owning or in charge of an animal that has bitten or attacked
any person shall immediately confine it and within 12 hours report to the
Regional Environmental Specialist the principal facts of the incident, or
if not available, the report shall be made to the Police Department.
A.
Upon receipt of the report, the Registered Environmental
Health Specialist shall serve the notice required by state law that such animal
must be confined for at least 10 days after the date of the bite or attack;
except, if upon inspection, the Registered Environmental Health Specialist
believes other action is necessary, he/she shall take the action and immediately
advise the Board of Health.
B.
At the end of the confinement, if the animal is found
to be normally healthy, it may be released. No animal shall be destroyed during
the confinement period except by permission of the Registered Environmental
Health Specialist. The signed release form shall be kept on file by the local
Board of Health.
C.
Any person who detects the symptoms of rabies in a wild
animal shall immediately contact the Police Department, the Registered Environmental
Health Specialist or the Animal Control Commission.
Any person bitten or attacked by any animal in the municipality and
any physician or other person consulted by or treating such person shall,
within 12 hours thereafter, report it to the Health Inspector or Police Department.
The cost of boarding, decapitation and shipment of the animal head to
Trenton for testing will be paid for by the owner of the animal, if ascertainable;
otherwise, the cost reverts to the municipality.
