A woman in Chengdu was bitten by a marmot while photographing it in western Sichuan. She was diagnosed with rabies and received rabies vaccination treatment.

Social Context

In China, wild animals like marmots are not pets and carry high rabies risk; the Wildlife Protection Law prohibits close contact or feeding of wild species. Rabies remains a public health priority—China mandates post-exposure prophylaxis for all suspected bites, and provincial health authorities regularly issue warnings about wildlife interaction in ecotourism zones.

Safety Tip

Never approach, feed, or attempt to touch wild animals—even seemingly docile ones—as they may carry zoonotic diseases like rabies.