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Raccoon rabies vaccination baits.
BARNSTABLE – Safety officials will distribute oral rabies vaccines (ORV) across Barnstable and Plymouth Counties starting next week. The Cape Cod & Southeast Massachusetts Rabies Task Force says beginning Wednesday, September 3, baits will be air-dropped around the area to prevent the reintroduction of raccoon-variant rabies to Cape Cod. ORV baits will be distributed in the towns of Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, Barnstable, Plymouth, Wareham, Carver, Kingston, Middleborough, Rochester, Marion, and Lakeville. Residents may see a low flying red and black helicopter dropping the baits during distribution days. The baits are not toxic to pets or people, but should be left alone, when possible, to ensure the dose gets to its intended raccoon recipient. The Cape had been mostly racoon-variant rabies-free until a deceased raccoon was found outside Wild Care in Eastham that tested positive for the virus in 2024. Officials suspect that raccoon likely had been brought there from off-Cape.
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