It wasn’t his day.
A crazed groundhog sunk its teeth into two out-of-towners this week, and officials in northern New Jersey confirm the animal is infected with rabies.
The incident happened Wednesday in the town of Hillsborough outside The Landing, a gastropub.
Officials said the two unnamed victims were outside the eatery when the groundhog waltzed up and nipped them both.
They were treated at a local hospital, officials said.
The rabid groundhog was later euthanized.
“All of NJ is affected by rabies,” reads a statement from Hillsborough’s Health Department, adding it first started impacting local wildlife back in 1989. “It is now in the wildlife population” and “is a virus that can affect any mammal.”
Humans most often contract rabies when an animal bites or scratches them.
Rabies can be fatal without immediate treatment.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, confusion and irritation at the bite site.
The Health Department reminded Hillsborough residents to check the last time their pets received the booster rabies vaccination.
The town is also asking people to report any feral cats they come across, so they can receive a rabies vaccine. They will also be spayed and neutered, officials said.
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