ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. — Anne Arundel health officials have thought of a clever way to protect wildlife and its citizens.
Starting Aug. 29, county officials will be tossing out "bait" for raccoons so they can be vaccinated against rabies. It's part of the 2022 Raccoon Oral Rabies Vaccination Project, supported by Anne Arundel County, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services and the County Police Department.
The project will run until Sept. 30, weather permitting.
County leaders hope it will vaccinate thousands of animals and plan to place about 84,500 baits throughout the county.
Here's how it works:
Health and wildlife officials create the bait, which is made up of fishmeal, and place a bag of a liquefied version of the vaccine inside. Once the raccoon bites into the bag, it can slurp out the liquid and get vaccinated for rabies.
Rabies is a viral infection, and people exposed to it must go through an expensive series of shots to protect them.
According to a releasefrom the county's department of health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture licensed a safe vaccine for raccoons in 1997, and it's been used in Maryland since 1998.
County officials plan to disperse the baits in places where raccoons are known to hang out or come for food. They said if you see a bait in your yard, try not to touch it.
