CORNWALL, Ontario – About 25,000 baits containing rabies vaccine will be distributed in the Cornwall area later this month by officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The baits, considered one of the most successful rabies eradication measures anywhere, will see the baits dropped by air on Aug. 15 and 16.
The vaccine is aimed mostly at the raccoon population, but other animals including skunks and foxes are also immunized.
“(The Cornwall area is) being targeted because of the presence of rabid raccoons in New York near the Ontario border,” MNR said in a statement. “If you see baits, please do not disturb them.”
Ontario raccoons have been free of rabies since September 2005. There were only 18 cases of rabies diagnosed in Ontario in 2014. All of these cases occurred in bats.
Exposure to a bait is not harmful to people or pets. However, if a person or a pet comes in contact with the vaccine in the bait, contacting a doctor or veterinarian as a precaution is recommended.
