Aug 19, 2019 2 min read

Distribution of raccoon rabies vaccine bait will take place Aug. 28 through Sept. 5 in Peters Township.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises dogs be kept confined to properties or on leashes from the start of distribution until Sept. 12, one week after it ends.

The Wildlife Services division of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has been distributing oral rabies vaccines in Pennsylvania and surrounding states for 18 years.

The National Rabies Management Program involves dispersing bait containing rabies vaccination by fixed-wing aircraft. The bait is a plastic sachet or packet that is coated in fishmeal, containing antibodies of the rabies virus that will help build immunity.

To ensure sufficient baiting within an area, aircraft may move within the same area multiple times in a slow manner.

According to the USDA, oral rabies vaccines produce little threat to humans and animals when exposed, but the public is asked to avoid contact with the baits to increase the likelihood of consumption by raccoons. If bait must be moved, please use gloves or hand tools to remove it from the undesired location.

In recent years, there have been incidents of off-leash dogs consuming bait within parks.

Parks are common places for human and animal interactions with raccoons and are therefore important sites for baiting to reduce rabies exposure.