> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thecanadareport.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Granby Rabid Skunk Bites Two-Year-Old at Home Daycare - URL: https://www.thecanadareport.ca/granby-rabid-skunk-bite/ - Published: 2026-11-10T23:10:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-10T23:20:47.000Z - Description: Granby rabid skunk bites a two-year-old at a home daycare, prompting urgent treatment and renewed Quebec wildlife warnings. - Author: Steve Cogbill - Tags: Daily News, Quebec *Sourced from 4 news outlets · most facts from statements · 1 point in dispute.* [*How we sourced this*](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/granby-rabid-skunk-bite/#how-we-sourced-this-story) A two-year-old girl was bitten by a rabid skunk at her home-based daycare in Granby on Nov. 3, an encounter that has renewed public-health warnings about contact with wildlife. **Key facts** - After the bite, the girl was taken to hospital and received vaccines and preventative rabies treatment. - Public health officials urged people to keep their distance from wild animals and use caution even if they appear harmless. - Authorities captured the skunk and test results confirmed it was infected with rabies (described as raccoon rabies). - Dr. Geneviève Petit said rabies cases in Quebec animals have surpassed 300 since the beginning of 2026 and that the area where rabid animals are being found has expanded over the past year. Authorities captured the skunk, and test results confirmed it was infected with rabies, described as raccoon rabies. ## Skunk approached outside daycare The girl’s mother said daycare educators saw the skunk approach her daughter outside, first biting at her boots before moving up her leg and biting behind her knee. The attack adds to wider concerns about rabies exposure in Canadian communities, including [Vancouver’s recent rabies alert after a downtown skunk tested positive](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/p/2f500ee8-e2c7-4693-8db9-17bb1f26d97d/). That case offered a reminder of how quickly a seemingly isolated wildlife encounter can become a public health issue. “It approached my daughter and started biting her boots,” the mother said. She said her daughter tried to make the animal stop, but it “moved higher up her leg and bit her behind the knee.” The workers removed the skunk after getting the other children to safety, according to the mother’s account. She said the educators later received rabies vaccines as well. ## Treatment began after bite After the bite, the girl was taken to hospital, where she received vaccines and preventive rabies treatment. Her mother said she was relieved by the response. “They didn’t take any chances,” she said. Dr. Geneviève Petit, a public health and preventive medicine specialist with Estrie public health, said early action after a possible exposure is crucial. “We can prevent rabies when we intervene early like this,” Petit said. ## Rabies cases rise in Quebec Petit said rabies cases in Quebec animals have surpassed 300 since the beginning of 2026, while the geographic area where rabid animals are being found has expanded over the past year. The Quebec government reported 63 cases of raccoon rabies in the Eastern Townships in 2026\. That total includes 58 raccoons, one cow, one red fox and three skunks. Petit said rabid animals are being found in Estrie, Montérégie and Mauricie, and warned that the spread raises concern about rabies reaching the island of Montreal. ## Advice after possible exposure Public-health officials are urging people to stay away from wild animals and to use caution even when an animal appears harmless. “Whether the animal is behaving abnormally or normally, whether it appears completely harmless, it is important to exercise healthy caution and keep your distance,” Petit said. For a possible bite or scratch exposure, health advice is to wash the wound with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes, then call Info-Santé at 811. ## How outlets covered it - **Montreal Gazette** (Postmedia) — [“Two-year-old Granby girl bitten by rabid skunk”](https://montrealgazette.com/news/two-year-old-granby-girl-bitten-by-rabid-skunk/?ref=thecanadareport.ca), Nov. 10, 2026\. By Katelyn Thomas. Quoted Dr. Geneviève Petit, public health and preventive medicine specialist with Estrie public h. Not in the other reports here: the Nov. 3 bite in a home-based daycare yard. - **Toronto Sun** (Postmedia) — [“Two-year-old Quebec girl bitten by rabid skunk”](https://torontosun.com/montreal-news/two-year-old-granby-girl-bitten-by-rabid-skunk/wcm/9d6726f8-e2f4-4e65-afe1-b074c691bae2?ref=thecanadareport.ca), Nov. 10, 2026\. By Katelyn Thomas. Quoted Dr. Geneviève Petit, public health and preventive medicine specialist with Estrie public h; mother of the toddler, Jessika Robert-Champagne; spokesperson Danny Raymond. - **CTV News** (Bell Media) — [“Skunk infected with racoon rabies bites toddler in Granby, Que.”](https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/skunk-infected-with-racoon-rabies-bites-toddler-in-granby-que/?ref=thecanadareport.ca), Nov. 10, 2026\. By Daniel Rowe. Led with a rabid skunk's possible bite of a toddler. Quoted Santé-Québec Estrie - CHUS; Dr. Geneviève Petit, a specialist with Sante-Quebec Estrie. Not in the other reports here: 63 Eastern Townships raccoon-rabies cases in 2026. - **CBC News** (CBC/Radio-Canada) — [“2-year-old bitten by rabid skunk in Granby, Que.”](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/2-year-old-bitten-by-rabid-skunk-in-granby-que-9.7416059?cmp=rss&ref=thecanadareport.ca), Nov. 10, 2026\. Quoted two-year-old’s mother Jessika Champagne-Robert; public health and preventive medicine specialist Dr. Geneviève Petit. Not in the other reports here: Quebec's last recorded human rabies case in 2000. *Montreal Gazette and Toronto Sun are both owned by Postmedia.* **Reader-funded. No ads. No paywall.** The Canada Report is independent, reader-funded Canadian news — no advertisers, nothing behind a paywall, kept free for everyone. If you value it, you can help keep it that way. [Support The Canada Report →](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/support/) --- ## How we sourced this story | Most key facts come from statements by Dr. They differ on 1 point. | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | 10 key facts · 3 independently corroborated · 6 from statements or releases · 1 disputed Where sources differ The mother’s name as reported in the outlets Toronto Sun: The toddler's mother is identified as Jessika Robert-Champagne. cbc.ca (1): The toddler's mother is identified as Jessika Champagne-Robert. Why some reports were counted once cbc.ca (1) and cbc.ca (2) — the same report, published near-identically, counted once. **Also used** - [Public health officials urge caution after 2-year-old bitten by rabid skunk in Granby, Que.](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/2-year-old-bitten-by-rabid-skunk-in-granby-que-9.7416059?ref=thecanadareport.ca) — CBC News, Nov. 10, 2026 *How we put this together: we compare reporting from the outlets above, draft with the help of AI tools, and an editor checks every story before it's published.* [*Our methodology*](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/methodology/)*.* ## Sign up for The Canada Report Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Your modern digest of Canadian news. Friendly, clear, and in your inbox.