BOWDOINHAM, Maine — Several animals exhibiting signs of rabies or distemper in the Ridge Road area have been destroyed by the area animal control officer in recent weeks, prompting him to warn residents not to touch wild animals.
“There’s something going on,” Bowdoinham Animal Control Officer Cliff Daigle said Friday. “I’m not saying it’s rabies. Maybe it’s distemper.”
Daigle said he’s responded to “quite a few calls” reporting “likely rabid” animals. As a result, he destroyed two gray foxes, a raccoon and a skunk, some with porcupine quills stuck in them.
The animals’ remains were not sent to the state for testing because they did not come into contact with people, Daigle said.
One of the gray foxes attacked other animals and the skunk was “running up [to people] and acting strangely. One raccoon attacked tires, while the other was “bouncing off a fence,” he said.
Chief Deputy Brett Strout of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office said deputies have not responded to similar calls in other towns in the county. Richmond and Brunswick police said they have not taken reports recently of possibly rabid animals.
Daigle said Maine Game Warden Bob Decker had also responded to a number of calls, including a gray fox in Winthrop that had already bitten other animals. Decker could not be reached on Monday.
“This is that time of year,” Daigle said. “We put out advisories all the time: If you see wild animals, don’t touch them, and don’t pat them. Call the animal control officer.”