Desert Museum closed Wednesday after wild fox bit staffer

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was closed for the day on Wednesday after a staff member was bitten by a wild fox suspected of having rabies.

The incident happened at about 8 a.m., shortly before the popular attraction west of Tucson was scheduled to open for the day, according to Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman Mark Hart.

Staff members encountered two foxes fighting with each other on the grounds of the museum. When one of the staff members tried to intervene, one of the foxes latched onto the person’s leg but did not break the skin, Hart said.

The staff member, who was not identified, had been previously vaccinated against rabies and did not require additional treatment, Hart said. “There is a pre-exposure vaccine commonly administered to those who handle wildlife, like our staff.”

The Desert Museum remained closed for the day while trained staff searched for the two foxes.

The two animals were eventually captured, examined by a veterinarian and “humanely euthanized,” said Tianna Holder, marketing and media manager for the museum. Their remains have been submitted for rabies testing.

At about noon on Wednesday, the Desert Museum announced on Instagram that it would stay closed for the rest of the day.

“Due to recent rabies cases in the area, the Desert Museum is taking extra precautions after observing abnormal wild animal behavior,” the post said. “Staff are continually monitoring the grounds. We will share information about reopening as soon as we are able.”

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As of 4 p.m., Holder said the museum intended to reopen on Thursday, but staff would be monitoring the situation overnight and in the morning.

Since last fall, the Tucson area has seen a rash of cases involving wild animals suspected of having rabies, including a number of attacks on humans by abnormally aggressive foxes, bobcats, and skunks.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, there have been nine confirmed cases of the deadly disease in Pima County so far in 2024 — three bats, four foxes and two coyotes.

Hart said one of those rabid foxes was recovered from the Desert Museum grounds on April 11.

The county saw 26 confirmed rabies cases in 2023, all of them in bats except for one bobcat that was caught and killed by state wildlife officials at a home off Redington Pass Road on the east side of Tucson on Nov. 27.

Holder said rabies is not a concern for any of the animals on exhibit at the Desert Museum. “All of our animal residents are vaccinated and regularly checked by a veterinarian,” she said.

Holder added that, just like at homes and businesses around Tucson, the Desert Museum does get wild animals on its grounds from time to time, but potentially dangerous encounters with staff members or visitors are extremely rare.

In 2008, the musuem closed down for a day after a wild javelina got onto the property and bit a 45-year-old tourist from Holland, who received surgery for wounds to his right calf and hand.