Racoon
season...Rabies bait Season!
According
to popular belief, rabies1 occurs most often in the so-called “dogdays”
of July and August. While this isn’t
true2, it is true that summer is the peak season for rabid animal/human
encounters, because warm weather and outdoor activities increase the chance of people
encountering wild mammals, who just might be infected with rabies.
Each
year during August, the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) and its partners
in the National Rabies Management Program drop oral rabies vaccination (ORV)
baits from the air using fixed wing aircraft and helicopters and by
hand-dropping baits in urban areas. The
dropped ORV baits use a licensed vaccine developed for use by government
programs whose goal is achieving large-scale eradication of rabies.
The
ORV fishmeal baits attract raccoons, coyotes and foxes,3 looking for
an easy snack. They come in two forms, the
square-shaped, hand-dropped bait is brown in color and looks like a fig bar and
has a plastic vaccine packet inside. The
air-drop ORV packet looks like a ketchup package, covered with a fine,
brown-colored layer of fish meal. As the
animals eat the bait pack, their teeth puncture the vaccine packet and the
vaccine is absorbed into their mouth, triggering an immune response that will protect
it from rabies.
So,
what should you do if you come upon some ORV baits?
First,
leave them alone, the baits are not harmful to humans or pets. And remember the following:
ü Tell
children to leave the baits alone.
ü Most
packets are eaten within four days; almost all baits will be gone within a
week. If packets are not found and eaten, they will dissolve, and the exposed
vaccine will be rendered inactive. So,
keep your dogs and cats inside, or confine them, for at least a week after baits
have been dropped in your area.
ü Dogs
and cats are attracted to the baits and may eat them. Eating of these baits by pets or livestock
will not hurt them. Pets dogs and cats
may experience an upset stomach, however if several baits are eaten.
ü Baits
dropped in places frequented by pets or children should be moved away from
these areas into more wild areas using either gloves or a paper towel.
ü Damaged
baits should be disposed of by being put in the trash using gloves or a paper towel.
ü If
your skin does comes into contact with the vaccine, which is a red to purple
liquid, wash the area with soap and water.
If
you do spot an animal which is acting strange or threatening, call your local
animal control service, the police or state Game Commission to report the
incident.
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
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That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Sources
Maki, Joanne, et. al.;
“Oral vaccination of wildlife using a vaccinia–rabies-glycoprotein recombinant
virus vaccine (RABORAL V-RG®): a global review”, Veterinary Research,
Volume 48, Article number: 57, September 22, 2017, https://veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13567-017-0459-9,
accessed August 8, 2024
McDowell, Alisha; “Taking
the Bait: USDA Safeguards Wildlife Against the Rabies Virus”, USDA/APHIS,
September 25, 2023, https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2023/09/25/taking-bait-usda-safeguards-wildlife-against-rabies-virus,
accessed August 8, 2024
Paige, Alexis; “Raccoon
rabies vaccination baiting begins”, August 5, 2019, WTAE, [©2024, Hearst
Television Inc. on behalf of WTAE-TV.], https://www.wtae.com/article/raccoon-rabies-vaccination-baiting-begins/28609267,
accessed August 8, 2024
Staff; “Rabies Bait Will
Be Dropped In The Local Area”, Wetzel Chronicle, August 25, 2010, [©
Wetzel Chronicle], https://www.wetzelchronicle.com/news/2010/08/25/rabies-bait-will-be-dropped-in-the-local-area/,
accessed August 8, 2024
Staff; “Rabid raccoon
found in Saluda County; 1 pet exposed”, November 2, 2022, [A Gray Local Media
Station © 2002-2024], https://www.wrdw.com/2022/11/02/rabid-raccoon-found-saluda-county-1-pet-exposed/,
accessed August 8, 2024
USDA; “National Rabies
Management Program Overview”, March 11, 2024, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/national-wildlife-programs/rabies,
accessed August 8, 2024
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