What to do about possibly rabid racoon?
- Thread starter diemaco
- Start date
If you shot it in the head, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to determine whether rabies was the issue or not. Otherwise, it might be a good idea to let wildlife management know about the strange acting animal. If it happens to be harboring rabies, it is good to know about. Regards, Eagleye.
I would normally suggest shooting it. However there seems to be many on this site who feel that shooting the racoon, especially if he runs away from you is against the law. I would wait to see if the racoon tries to steal your quad first, and if he does run him down. But don't shoot it! It's best to try and talk to it in a peaceful manner. Try to contact the authorities and maybe they can get there in time before it turns and comes after you.
On second thought, shoot it.
On second thought, shoot it.
DO NOT bury the damn thing....if you are determined to get rid of it, burn it. Completely. Otherwise, something will dig it up and (if it is in fact rabid) continue to spread the disease. There is also some chance that the virus will remain viable in the soil for a quite a lengthy period; anthrax, for example, remains viable for more than 20 years.
The brain is required to test for rabies; if it's been head shot, testing might not be possible.
We had a terrible outbreak here in the '50s - it wiped out the skunks, and the foxes were decades coming back. My mother ended up getting the 'needles in the abdomen' treatment for a dog bite. Rabies is nothing to mess with.
If you had good reason to think it might be rabid, I can't imagine any Fish Cop coming down on you- especially for a lousy racoon. He'd look pretty stupid if he ticketed you and then read all about himself in the newspapers and started getting requests for interviews from the local TV station after you told the media about your rabid animal....although you might have to politely remind him of that if he starts getting officious. (Sometimes those uniforms go to their heads, and they forget who they're working for....)
The brain is required to test for rabies; if it's been head shot, testing might not be possible.
We had a terrible outbreak here in the '50s - it wiped out the skunks, and the foxes were decades coming back. My mother ended up getting the 'needles in the abdomen' treatment for a dog bite. Rabies is nothing to mess with.
If you had good reason to think it might be rabid, I can't imagine any Fish Cop coming down on you- especially for a lousy racoon. He'd look pretty stupid if he ticketed you and then read all about himself in the newspapers and started getting requests for interviews from the local TV station after you told the media about your rabid animal....although you might have to politely remind him of that if he starts getting officious. (Sometimes those uniforms go to their heads, and they forget who they're working for....)
The vet told me that the virus dies when the body temperature gets cold? Don't know any more than that. Anthrax will live for years as you said.
Well, I won't argue with your vet - he probably knows better than I do - but having seen rabies in action, I am scared to death of it. One of my most 'memorable events' is sitting up on top of a combine for about two hours after school one afternoon, while a rabid fox stumbled around the yard. If that was my racoon, I'd probably handle it with a pitch fork, burn the 'coon and the fork to ashes, and bury the ashes ten feet deep....gives me the damn shivers to think about it.
I hear you. Anytime a animal acts completely out of character is something not forgotten. I have a friend who was doing chores for his neighbour years ago and when he went into the barn there was a rabid fox standing on his hind legs chewing away at a cows behind.[Cows were tied] He said he had nightmares for a long time. Anyways nothing to fool around with. There are times when a rifle close by is a good thing.
- Location
- Albertabama
That's hilarious!! I thought you were just muckin til halfway through the second part.
My dad hated rodents...with a passion...and it all started with a rat that ran up his pant leg when he was a kid. He gripped said rat, thru his pants, and squeezed until the rat quit wiggling. He was a rough and tough fella, until a rodent made a showing, then...well...not so much
RIP.Ive had a few come up by the house during the day and try and fight my 110lb dog,ive shot them,avoiding a head shot, and my wife is a vet so I take it to her clinic in a garbage bag,they toss it in the freezer until the CFIA(canadian food inspection agency) vets come out harvest the brain and test for rabies.
or you could call cfia directly
or you could call cfia directly
There're gov officials somewhere who keep track of rabies. They need the head to test though, but I suspect a CO or an spca or some other animal associated person is supposed to do it so joe public doesn't get or spread rabies by decapitating and shipping rabid raccoon heads through canada post.
I would notify MNR and let them test it... is is possible the coon had distemper and not Rabies... Racoon get both cat and dog types of distemper..(airborne virus) if one with distemper moves into a den tree with other coons they will likely contract the disease too... they come out of the dens in spring carrying the disease...
Someone should have told me not to shoot it in the head before I put 3 federal gameshocks into it. (He flipped over on the first one, but after a couple seconds his back leg started twiching so i popped 2 more into even though I'm pretty sure it was just nerves). I buried it, deep. Called the mnr to report the strange actions. It is entirely possible that it was rabid, rabies exists in the my area according to the MNR maps. I know I've found the vaccine baits a few times.
I think you're allowed to shoot strange acting wildlife on you're own property. ( in defense of livestock or pets).
Call the MNR if you wish. They may want to see the coon and take it for analysis.
Otherwise just bury the critter.
Theres no fear of rabies spreading to pets or other animals when the carcass has cooled down. The rabies dies with the animal.
Call the MNR if you wish. They may want to see the coon and take it for analysis.
Otherwise just bury the critter.
Theres no fear of rabies spreading to pets or other animals when the carcass has cooled down. The rabies dies with the animal.
