SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — State regulators say West Virginia trappers can sell live foxes to hound coursing pens during the 2012-13 trapping season.
The Division of Natural Resources says foxes must be live-trapped in the same county where the pen is located.
Wildlife resources chief Curtis Taylor says that will help prevent the further westward spread of rabies and reduce the possibility of moving diseased animals across the state.
Raccoons cannot be sold live this season because they are the primary carrier of rabies,
Taylor says hound coursing pens are licensed in West Virginia and regulated under standards designed to promote humane treatment.
Trappers are urged to use extreme care when handling live animals to avoid rabies exposure.
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