The first reported frenzied moose in North America was killed after it was seen “drooling” and described as “extremely aggressive towards people” in an Alaskan city, the Daily Mail reported.

According to the report, the giant horned animal was initially seen bleeding and covered with patchy fur, and after it was put out, it was confirmed to be infected with a type of arctic rabies..

Alaskan wildlife officials believe an infected fox has bitten an elk, and are now expanding surveillance efforts to track rabies, testing all brain samples from wild mammals found dead or euthanized in shelters throughout the rabies-stricken Arctic regions. over the past year.

Prior to this case, all recorded cases of moose with rabies were restricted to Europe.

The moose had a wound from a fox bite, the likely mode of transmission. Moose have been infected with the Arctic type of rabies, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This species spread last winter among red foxes on the Seward Peninsula and arctic foxes on the North Slope.

Outbreaks of rabies occur every year among large groups of foxes across a wide area of ​​Alaska, Beekman said, with outbreaks every eight to 10 years.

Last winter was the largest outbreak detected by the department, involving a large number of red foxes in the Nome area. Beckman said 29% of the foxes sampled had rabies. This means that dogs who fight with foxes are more likely to be exposed to rabies, Beckman said.