Campus Alert Archive
UT Austin

Three Bitten on the Forty Acres: A Raccoon Living Outside the PCL

TXotheradvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On April 27, 2022, UT Austin's Office of Campus Safety warned students to stay away from raccoons after three students were bitten and required rabies vaccinations. The animal was believed to be living outside the McCombs School of Business and Perry-Castaneda Library (PCL) area on the main campus, known as the Forty Acres.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Texas at Austin
Public R1 · TX
~51,000 studentsUT Campus Safety
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 KXAN and KVUE coverage of the UT Office of Campus Safety warning; alert not published verbatim501 chars
Campus Safety Notice: Beware of Raccoons. The University has received reports of an increase in incidents involving raccoons and members of the UT community. A raccoon believed to be residing near the McCombs School of Business and the Perry-Castaneda Library has bitten several students. Do not approach, feed, or attempt to pet raccoons or other wildlife on campus. If you are bitten or scratched, seek medical assistance as soon as possible. Report wildlife concerns to the Office of Campus Safety.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; the McCombs/PCL location and the do-not-approach/feed/pet instructions track specific reported detail, but the wording is not verbatim.
PCL refers to the Perry-Castaneda Library, the campus's main library, named in source coverage as near the raccoon's location.
Issued as a discretionary safety notice rather than a Clery timely warning, since an animal bite is not a Clery-reportable crime.
Context

Background

In late April 2022, UT Austin's Office of Campus Safety told students to beware of raccoons after a surge of biting incidents on the main campus, the Forty Acres. The warning, posted on April 27, 2022, said three students were bitten and received rabies vaccinations as a precaution, and that a raccoon was believed to be living near the McCombs School of Business and the Perry-Castaneda Library (PCL). Officials suggested the raccoon may have felt threatened by close contact, particularly if it had young, and urged students not to approach, feed, or pet wildlife and to seek medical care promptly if bitten. The case illustrates how persistent urban wildlife on a dense campus can generate a discretionary safety advisory rather than a Clery timely warning.
Analysis

Key Findings

Three UT Austin students were bitten by a raccoon and received precautionary rabies vaccinations, prompting an April 27, 2022 Office of Campus Safety warning
The raccoon was believed to be living near the McCombs School of Business and the Perry-Castaneda Library on the Forty Acres
The notice was a discretionary safety advisory, outside the Clery Act's crime-based timely-warning framework
Outcome
Three students received precautionary rabies vaccinations. UT advised the community not to approach, feed, or pet the raccoon and to seek medical care immediately if bitten or scratched.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    UT Austin students warned to stay away from raccoons after recent biting incidents - KVUE
    kvue.com
  2. News
    Biting raccoon warning issued on Forty Acres - KXAN Austin
    kxan.com
  3. News
    3 UT students bitten by a raccoon on campus - Spectrum News
    spectrumlocalnews.com
Tags
wildliferaccoonrabiesadvisorytexashealth-advisoryut-austin
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion