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CAPE COD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Wildlife officials are revamping rabies vaccination efforts after the virus was detected on Cape Cod for the first time in almost a decade.
The USDA and local wildlife officials will be releasing another round of rabies oral vaccination baits across Cape Cod.
This is in response to the Cape's first raccoon rabies case in over 8 years. This is also a follow-up to the USDA's emergency trap-vaccinate-release campaign where close to 700 raccoons on the Cape have been vaccinated, tagged, and released.
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The rabies vaccine baits will be dropped by both helicopter and car. Ground vehicle distribution is set to start on July 12 and may take as long as two weeks.
The helicopter distribution is set to start on July 13 and will take about four days, depending on weather conditions.
While they aren't harmful to pets, pet owners are advised to keep dogs on their leash because each dose picked up by a dog is one less that could have gone to an unvaccinated raccoon.
Rabies was detected in a raccoon in June in Hyannis.
WBZ NewsRadio's Tim Dunn (@ConsiderMeDunn) Reports:
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