In thinking about Halloween I contemplate vampires, werewolves, zombies and witches and I wonder about the origin of these monsters. The more I learn about rabies, the more I think it has something to do with it.

After all, rabies used to be common in wolves and has always been present in bats. The rabid wolf viciously attacks people without eating them. Perhaps people are more likely to be out at night during a full moon?

Of course, rabies doesn't affect its host for about a month after entering the body through a bite from an infected animal. That means the next full moon brings a change in the attacked person, who becomes wild, wanting to bite others and turn them into rabid maniacs. The bat, responsible for more than 90 percent of rabies in the U.S., comes silently at night, invisibly biting its victim, leaving only leaving a tiny wound. Rabies victims become restless, unable to sleep and progressively disturbed before going crazy and wanting to bite others. Sound familiar?

But before you get too worried about rabies you should know that in the U.S. only about 2 or 3 cases have occurred in humans per year for the past 25 years, and the last case of human rabies reported in North Carolina was 1953.


Fall is busy season>b>

Fall marks several things for Piedmont Wildlife Center: time to brace for fall baby squirrel season, migratory birds, (a time when birds of prey are brought to the PWC wildlife hospital often hit by cars). It is this time when the sickest animals arrive.

Fall signals PWC that the winter classes are just around the corner. Also, fall is our time to gather supplies for the lean winter months. This is our most important fund-raising time of year.

The Fall Gala Auction, our major fund raising event for the year, is Nov. 17 at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. Call for advance tickets at 489-0900.

If you have a question about wildlife, if you have found an injured or sick wild animal, or if you want to support this nonprofit organization, go to the Web at www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org, or call the hospital 572-9453, or