Several encounters with suspected rabid raccoons suggest that rabies may be on the uptick in Greene County.
Jay Sharkey of End of the Lane Farm in Cornwallville has shot five raccoons in the past seven weeks, he said Tuesday.
Animal Control Officer Brian Feml, of Cairo, and Lisa Trafton, of Durham, also reported suspected rabid raccoons in the past month.
Sharkey found the first raccoon, face punctured by porcupine quills, behaving aggressively outside his dairy barn.
“I thought it probably had rabies because normally they stay away from porcupines,” he said.
He called the Greene County Department of Health, but was told that the raccoon would not be tested for rabies unless it had been in contact with a person or animal.
Sharkey, who has 70 dairy cows, was dissatisfied with the Health Department’s response.
“I thought that it was important because of the cows. I wanted it tested for my own knowledge,” he said.
Sharkey drove the dead raccoon to the Department of Health’s Rabies Laboratory at the Wadsworth Center in Slingerlands, where it tested positive for rabies.
He shot four more raccoons that were out during daylight hours on his property, including one he found fumbling around upstairs in his hay barn.
As a precaution, Dr. Karen Mackerer, a Copake veterinarian, vaccinated all 70 cows for rabies, to the tune of $1,000, Sharkey said.
The increase in rabies cases among raccoons may be a trend that extends beyond Greene County, said Durham Animal Control Officer John Van Tassel.
“I have been in contact with Ag and Markets. It seems like the spike is not just here,” Van Tassel said. “It does seem to be getting worse this year.”
But he noted that the mating season can change raccoon behavior.
“Now, having babies, they’re out in daylight more. You can’t always take that as them being sick,” he said. “If they’re acting funny, foaming at the mouth, being aggressive, always call just to be safe.”
The lower portion of New York state has seen an increase in rabies and distemper since the end of 2019, said Missy Runyan, founder of the Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center in Hunter.
“I would attribute it to the mixing of wildlife and domestic pets,” she said. “Unfortunately, birdfeeders, unsecured garbage and unvaccinated feral cat colonies spread the disease faster because they bring species together that would never dine together normally. There’s a bite and a fight and saliva is shared.”
The Department of Health will test only raccoons, skunks and bats, known as rabies vector species, if they have bitten or scratched a person or an owned animal, Runyan said.
Many people do not keep their pets up to date on rabies vaccines, which accelerates the spread of rabies, she said. “It’s back with a vengeance, because of ignorance.”
The problem may get worse, said Wes Laraway of the New York Wildlife Rescue Center in Middleburgh, which has seen several cases over the winter.
“I suspect there will be more cases as the weather gets better and more animals are coming out of winter hibernation,” he said.
Do not touch any animal, alive or dead, suspected of carrying rabies, Laraway said.
The health departments of Greene and Columbia counties have free rabies clinics to vaccinate dogs, cats and ferrets throughout the year. The next clinics are in Ancram at the Town Highway Garage on Saturday and in New Baltimore at the Medway-Grapeville Firehouse on March 25. The county Health Department websites list upcoming dates.
New York frequently leads the nation in the number of rabid animals, according to the state Department of Health website.
The Greene County Health Department did not return calls or emails seeking comment.
Nora Mishanec is a reporter at Columbia-Greene Media. She can be contacted at nmishanec@columbiagreenemedia.com or 518-828-1616 ex. 2495.
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