This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
Georgia Tech
A Rabid Fox Behind the MOSE Building, and a Warning About 'Several Others'
Confirmed Threat
In mid-February 2019, a fox that injured two students behind Georgia Tech's Molecular Science and Engineering (MOSE) Building tested positive for rabies, prompting a campus alert urging people to avoid the area near the track-and-field facility. A separate student had a similar encounter over the prior weekend, and officials warned there could be several foxes, any of which might carry rabies.
- Alerts
- 1
- Response
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- Killed
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- Injured
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Institution
Georgia Institute of Technology
Public R1 · GA
~36,000 studentsGTENS
Confirmed Timeline
Alert Sequence
1 message in sequence
Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.
INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from FOX 5 Atlanta and ABC News coverage of the Georgia Tech campus alert; alert not published verbatim571 chars
Georgia Tech Safety Alert: A fox that injured students on campus has tested positive for rabies. The incidents occurred on the pathway behind the Molecular Science and Engineering (MOSE) Building near the Georgia Tech Track and Field facility. Officials believe there may be several foxes in the area, any of which could carry rabies. Please avoid the area behind the MOSE Building, the nearby pathway, and the track facility. Do not approach or feed any wildlife. If you are bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately.
Reconstructed from news coverage; the locations (behind the MOSE Building, the pathway, and the track-and-field facility) and the warning about 'several' foxes track specific reported detail, but the alert wording is not verbatim.
The acronym MOSE for the Molecular Science and Engineering Building is preserved as used in the source coverage.
Issued as a discretionary health-and-safety advisory, not a Clery timely warning, because an animal attack and rabies exposure fall outside Clery crime categories.
Context
Background
In February 2019, three students encountered a fox on the pathway behind Georgia Tech's Molecular Science and Engineering (MOSE) Building near the track-and-field facility, and two were injured; over the prior weekend, another student had a similar run-in with a fox in the same area. After the captured fox tested positive for rabies, Georgia Tech issued a campus alert warning that there could be several foxes in the area and asking people to avoid the MOSE pathway and track facility. Injured students underwent post-exposure rabies treatment. Because the rabid fox had not been the only one and others remained at large, the alert stopped short of an all-clear, instead reiterating avoidance. The episode illustrates how a confirmed zoonotic disease risk on campus prompts a discretionary safety alert rather than a Clery timely warning.
Analysis
Key Findings
A fox that injured two students behind Georgia Tech's MOSE Building tested positive for rabies, triggering a campus safety alert in February 2019
Officials warned there could be several foxes in the area, so the alert reiterated avoidance of the MOSE pathway and track facility rather than declaring an all-clear
The message functioned as a discretionary health-and-safety advisory, outside the Clery Act's crime-based timely-warning framework
Outcome
Injured students underwent post-exposure rabies treatment; three returned to classes. The fox that tested positive was captured, but others were not, so Georgia Tech told the community to avoid the MOSE/track area and report sightings.
Provenance
Sources
- News
- News
- News
Tags
wildlifefoxrabiesadvisorygeorgiahealth-advisorygeorgia-tech
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion