A.
Any person owning or being in charge of any animal which
has bitten or attacked any person shall immediately and closely confine such
animal so that it may not approach or be approached by any other animal or
any unfamiliar person until it has been inspected by the Health Inspector
of the Board of Health; and as soon as it is reasonably possible, but no longer
than 12 hours after such bite or attack, the owner or person in charge of
such animal shall report to the Board of Health the principal facts of the
incident, or, if no Board of Health official can be reached, the report shall
be made to the Police Department.
B.
Upon receipt of such notification, the Health Officer
shall order the examination of the animal by a licensed veterinarian. The
Health Officer shall also serve formal notice, as required under the state
law, that the animal must be confined for at least 10 days after the date
of the bite or attack, except that, if, upon evaluation, the Health Officer
believes that other immediate or special action is necessary, he is empowered
to take such action and shall immediately advise the Board of such action.
The veterinarian report must be sent to the Health Officer within five days
of a bite.
C.
At the end of the isolation period, if, in the opinion
of the Health Officer, the animal is found to be normally healthy, it may
be released from isolation. No such animal shall be destroyed during the isolation
period, except by permission of the Board of Health.
Any person knowing or suspecting that any animal in his possession has
been bitten or attacked by an animal known to have or suspected of having
rabies shall immediately confine such animal and notify the Board of Health
or, if no official can be reached, the Police Department. Upon receipt of
such notification, the Health Officer shall direct what further steps shall
be taken with respect to such animal.
It shall be the duty of every person who detects in any animal the symptoms
of rabies to confine the animal and immediately notify the Board of Health
of his suspicions and of the whereabouts of the confinement.
It shall be the duty of any person who suspects or has reason to suspect
that a dead animal within his knowledge or possession has been rabid or has
been bitten by an animal known to have been rabid to immediately report these
suspicions to the Board of Health.
Any person who has been bitten or attacked by any animal in the Borough
and any physician or other such person who has been consulted by or has treated
any person who has been bitten or attacked by any animal shall, within 12
hours of becoming aware of such incident, report the circumstances to the
Board of Health or the Police Department.
