Ballston Spa mayor’s social post on fox prompts debate; wildlife rehabilitators and residents urge testing and clearer animal-control policy

Mayor Frank Rossi posted a public-safety advisory on his official Facebook page after several resident reports and a police response to a fox that officers shot after it allegedly charged a resident or an officer. The post warned residents to “assume the worst, get inside, and call the authorities,” language Rossi said he used to prioritize public safety.

The advisory and the mayor’s edits to it prompted public comment during the Village Board meeting, where residents and two licensed wildlife rehabilitators told trustees that the animal should have been tested for rabies before public statements suggested it might be rabid.

Why it matters: Trustees and the mayor said they released the warning to reduce the risk of human injuries while the precise cause of the animals’ behavior was unknown. Wildlife experts told trustees that untested animals should not be publicly labeled “rabid” and that testing and coordination with state agencies are the correct next steps to inform public health action.

At the meeting, Rossi said he issued the advisory at the request of Chief Bush to protect residents after multiple calls and what the chief described as “an ongoing scenario” of sightings and interactions. Rossi said the police chief told him an officer had to shoot a fox after it “nearly attacked” a resident and “nearly attacked” the responding officer. Rossi said he had attempted to reach the DEC and other agencies and that calls to animal-control providers did not yield a timely response in the incident that prompted his warning.

“Assume the worst. Avoid it. Get inside,” Rossi told the board, describing the advisory he posted. He said he later added the word “potentially” when he realized the post’s wording could be read as a factual statement that animals were rabid.

Residents and wildlife professionals at the meeting said local officials should pursue testing and clear lines of responsibility before releasing strong public statements. Victoria Rasnan, who identified herself as a licensed rabies-vector-species rehabilitator, told the board that animal-control officers and trustees should contact the DEC environmental conservation officer (ECO) or volunteer rehabilitators and that the DEC unit’s contact information is publicly available. Paula Sheridan, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said the appropriate DEC unit is the Wildlife Health Unit in Delmar, which accepts specimens for testing. Sheridan said: “Announcing that a fox is rabid without testing and creating unnecessary fear can lead to harm to healthy or treatable wildlife.”

Liz Dennel, a resident who said a skunk in her yard began foaming and was shot by a sheriff’s deputy after she and her husband could not reach animal-control officers, said the animal was not tested. “Did it have rabies? I don't know,” Dennel told the board. She said a sheriff’s deputy stayed with her, then euthanized the animal when it began seizing and foaming; the animal was not submitted for testing, she said.

Rossi said the county and local animal-control pages state that animals are tested for rabies only if they bite a person or a pet, and he described conflicting guidance and slow responses when police tried to arrange testing. He said he will ask local animal-control providers for the previous year’s call logs for the village and “ask them to clarify their policies” so the village and residents better understand what the county and towns will or will not do.

Several residents urged the board to consider creating a full‑time village animal-control officer or clearer agreements with county providers. Lisa Spiedel told trustees she was “concerned that the work being done on the Genesco Trail … has caused disturbance to the wildlife” and asked whether on‑the‑ground work could be displacing animals.

Trustees said they would press for clearer documentation and cooperation. Rossi said he will publish whatever clarifying information the village receives from animal-control providers and the DEC.

Ending: Trustees took no formal action to change animal-control staffing at the meeting. Rossi said he will request the last year’s call logs from the animal-control officers who serve the village, seek clarification of their policies and report back to the board and community.