rodents such as squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, mice, and lagomorphs like rabbits and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies, and are not known to transmit rabies to humans. marsupial and monotreme mammals the virginia opossum (a marsupial, unlike the other mammals named above, which are all eutherians/placental), has a lower internal body temperature than the rabies virus prefers and therefore is resistant but not immune to rabies. marsupials, along with monotremes (platypuses and echidnas), typically have lower body temperatures than similarly sized eutherians. birds birds were first artificially infected with rabies in 1884; however, infected birds are largely, if not wholly, asymptomatic, and recover. other bird species have been known to develop rabies antibodies, a sign of infection, after feeding on rabies-infected mammals. transport of pet animals between countries sign at a uk port showing rabies prevention measures aimed at merchant sailors. rabies is endemic to many parts of the world, and one of the reasons given for quarantine periods in international animal transport has been to try to keep the disease out of uninfected regions. however, most developed countries, pioneered by sweden, now allow unencumbered travel between their territories for pet animals that have demonstrated an adequate immune response to rabies vaccination. such countries may limit movement to animals from countries where rabies is considered to be under control in pet animals. there are various lists of such countries. the united kingdom has developed a list, and france has a rather different list, said to be based on a list of the office international des epizooties (oie). the european union has a harmonised list. no list of rabies-free countries is readily available from oie. in recent years, canine rabies has been practically eliminated in north america and europe due to extensive and often mandatory vaccination requirements. however it is still a significant problem in parts of africa, parts of the middle east, parts of latin america, and parts of asia. dogs are considered to be the main reservoir for rabies in developing countries. however, the recent spread of rabies in the northeastern united states and further may cause a restrengthening of precautions against movement of possibly rabid animals between developed countries.