Wildlife experts in Ontario are air-dropping rabies vaccines into the Niagara region to prevent the deadly virus from spreading into Canada from the U.S.
“We’re trying to create a buffer of vaccinated wildlife in that area, so it stops raccoon rabies from spreading from New York into Ontario,” said Beverly Stevenson of the Ministry of Natural Resources, which oversees the project.
The vaccines come in the form of small packets filled with a powerful treatment that prevents the animals from contracting the illness.
The vaccine packets are maple-flavoured so that the animals will be drawn to them.
The project targets raccoons—one of the most common animals along the eastern section of the Canada-U.S. border and one of the main carriers of the virus.
With the reported number of rabies cases far higher in the U.S. than Canada, wildlife experts fear that American raccoons will swim across the border and spread the disease.
“They’re awesome swimmers,” said Stevenson. “They can swim out from island to island and across the border without any difficulty all.”
Rabies is a viral disease that causes the brain to swell up. The disease usually leads to loss of consciousness, violent movements, the inability to move and, ultimately, death.
The virus is present in the nerves and saliva of a rabid animal and is usually transmitted through a bite. The disease can be contracted even through a small scratch, making it more difficult to detect, especially in pets and livestock.
The ministry does the areal rabies vaccine drops along the Canada-U.S. border every year.
Before the program began in 1989, Ontario had an average of 1,500 cases of rabies each year. The province has now been free of rabies in humans for two years.
So far, 75,000 packets have been dropped in the Niagara region. Another 25,000 will be dropped near Cornwall.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
