The raccoons in Manhattan must have heard about the vaccination traps set up in Central Park, because they're on the move to Brooklyn! Well, at least one rabid raccoon was discovered in the borough—the Department of Health confirmed this week that they captured one in Boerum Hill.
The infected animal was caught last Friday, and when officials noticed unusual behavior (specifically, it was interacting with a dog), they did an analysis and its brain tissue confirmed the presence of rabies. The raccoon has since been euthanized. The DoH is now stepping up raccoon surveillance in Brooklyn, and the NY Post reports that this includes "looking for additional animals that appear sick or dead."
A member of the canine advocacy group FIDO in Prospect Park told the paper members are on alert, noting: “We are concerned not only for the dogs that belong to our organization but also for our neighborhood backyard dogs, who have a good possibility that they will encounter a rabid raccoon. If their shots are not up to date, they will be a big danger to their family.” The ASPCA has a mobile unit giving out free rabies shots; find out their schedule here.
In previous years, Brooklyn has seen the least amount of rabies cases of all five boroughs; but with this latest incident, it now places #2 in rabies cases for the year.
