BATH, Maine — West Bath recently saw its first confirmed case of rabies in three years.
Animal control officers say they shot and killed a raccoon that was behaving strangely.
There have been some reports in Bath of another wild animal acting strangely in the area, and people are worried because right now, there is no information on the rate of rabies in the area.
Bath Animal Control says just because this was the first positive rabies test in three years doesn’t mean rabies is rare in the area. Their protocol is to only test animals that bite or scratch people or pets, and during the COVID pandemic, those encounters were rare.
The only way to test wild animals is by euthanizing them and testing their brain tissue, so in order to find out how common rabies is in the area, there needs to be a capture and test program.
Bath tried that a few years ago, but the program was shut down amid arguments that too many healthy animals were being killed.
Even if the city knew the rate of rabies in the area, officials advise that the only way to fight rabies is to be proactive and get yourself and your pet vaccinated.
By law, your dog or cat must be vaccinated.
Otherwise, just prepare and be aware.