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1 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Rabies Research and Development Unit, Trent University, Science Complex, PO Box 4840, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8N8, Canada
2 Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research and Development Section, 300 Water St., Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8N8, Canada
3 Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa Laboratory Fallowfield, PO Box 11300, Station H, Nepean, Ontario K2H 8P9, Canada
4 Corresponding author (email: rick.rosatte{at}mnr.gov.on.ca)
ABSTRACT:
During 1999–2003, 127 cases of raccoon variant rabies were reported in raccoons (Procyon lotor) and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Ontario, Canada. Raccoons accounted for 98% (125/127) of the reported cases with behaviors/conditions including aggression, fighting with dogs, ataxia, vocalizations, appearance of being sick, and the presence of porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) quills. Seventy-eight percent of the rabid raccoons were adults. Juveniles were underrepresented (22%) compared with the adult/juvenile ratios found in nonrabid Ontario raccoon populations. Of the known aged raccoons, 83% were 
3 yr of age, and 22% of the rabid adult female raccoons had evidence of having had a litter during the year in which they were found to be rabid. The majority of rabid raccoons were reported during the fall, winter, and spring, suggesting a relationship between raccoon behavioral activities such as denning and breeding and the timing of rabies outbreaks. Multiple cases of raccoon rabies occurred at several barns, suggesting that those structures serve as focal points of rabies transmission as a result of denning activities. Movements of five rabid raccoons (range 1,564–4,143 m) were not different from movements of nonrabid raccoons in Ontario. Sixty-six percent of the rabid animals were submitted by government staff, stressing the importance of those agencies in rabies control and surveillance operations. Increased knowledge of the behaviors of rabid raccoons should assist in the development of management strategies for rabies.
Key words: Procyon lotor, rabid raccoon, rabid raccoon behavior, rabies, raccoon, raccoon rabies.
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  R. C. Rosatte, D. Donovan, J. C. Davies, M. Allan, P. Bachmann, B. Stevenson, K. Sobey, L. Brown, A. Silver, K. Bennett, et al. AERIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ONRAB(R) BAITS AS A TACTIC TO CONTROL RABIES IN RACCOONS AND STRIPED SKUNKS IN ONTARIO, CANADA J. Wildl. Dis., April 1, 2009; 45(2): 363 - 374. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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R. Rosatte, M. Allan, P. Bachmann, K. Sobey, D. Donovan, J. C. Davies, A. Silver, K. Bennett, L. Brown, B. Stevenson, et al. PREVALENCE OF TETRACYCLINE AND RABIES VIRUS ANTIBODY IN RACCOONS, SKUNKS, AND FOXES FOLLOWING AERIAL DISTRIBUTION OF V-RG BAITS TO CONTROL RACCOON RABIES IN ONTARIO, CANADA J. Wildl. Dis., October 1, 2008; 44(4): 946 - 964. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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R. Rosatte, E. MacDonald, K. Sobey, D. Donovan, L. Bruce, M. Allan, A. Silver, K. Bennett, L. Brown, K. MacDonald, et al. THE ELIMINATION OF RACCOON RABIES FROM WOLFE ISLAND, ONTARIO: ANIMAL DENSITY AND MOVEMENTS J. Wildl. Dis., April 1, 2007; 43(2): 242 - 250. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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