RABIES IN BAT-EARED FOXES IN SOUTH-AFRICA

Rabies in bat-eared foxes was first recognized in South Africa in 1955 and is likely to have been derived from canine rabies introduced to S outh Africa in 1950. Since then it has become established in this spec ies in the drier western haff of the country and the south-western Cap e so that rabies now occurs in bat-eared foxes adjacent to the peri-ur ban canine population of Cape Town. Peak incidence was recorded in the early 1980s and the incidence is seasonal with most cases occurring i n winter.