Beware The Rabid Squirrel Of Prospect Park

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Five people were attacked this week by a "potentially rabid squirrel" still on the loose in Prospect Park, according to city health officials. Of these five victims, one local jogger has yet to be located, health officials said Friday, and there may be more victims out there yet — and if you don't watch out, they said, you could be next.

UPDATE: The "rabid" squirrel that's been terrorizing Brooklyn was apparently caught on video mid-bite.

The squirrel went on a biting spree between July 18 and July 20 near the park's entrance at Parkside and Ocean Avenues, on the edge of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Ditmas Park, according to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

"While rabies in squirrels is extremely rare, this squirrel may be rabid based on its unusual aggressive behavior," officials said. So the city is now "acting under the assumption that the animal is rabid."

Have you, too, found yourself in the jaws of a Prospect Park squirrel acting not quite himself in the past week-and-a-half?

If so, city health officials urge you to "immediately seek rabies post-exposure prophylaxis at an emergency room." And any pets who were bitten should be rushed to the vet.

Wanted posters for Prospect Park's most unhinged tenant were posted this week near the park's southeast entrance. And search parties have since been deployed by both the NYC Parks Department and the Prospect Park Alliance to hunt the little monster down — although if he really does have rabies, he's more likely to turn up dead than alive.

Should the squirrel indeed be infected, this would also be a rather historic event.

He would be the first rabid animal identified in Prospect Park so far this year, and the ONLY rabid squirrel identified in all of New York City since rabies surveillance began in 1992, according to the Health Department.

“Most squirrel bites occur when someone attempts to feed the animal," NYC Health Commissioner Mary Bassett warned Friday. "Keep a safe distance from wildlife and never feed wild animals.”

Photo courtesy of NYC Parks