Dead otter had rabies

The dead otter found west of Boca Raton thought to be the one that bit three people and a dog since Nov. 18 has tested positive for rabies, Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control said on Thursday.

The attacks occurred in the vicinity of Yamato Road and U.S. 441 west of Boca Raton. The victims were already being treated for rabies as a precaution.

The lake the dead otter was found in Wednesday was a few hundred yards east of where its last attack was reported on Nov. 24 when a 19-year-old man was bitten on his left leg while videotaping the animal swimming in a canal behind his Southwind Lakes home.

The deadly viral disease can be prevented but not cured, authorities said, and when an animal is in the later, aggressive stages, it only has a matter of days to live.

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