The discovery of several rabid animals in Washington County this summer is a reminder for people to vaccinate their pets against that fatal disease.
     "There have been two cases of raccoons and two of skunks just in Pembroke, but bats and foxes have been common throughout the state," reports Game Warden Joe Gardner. "It's cyclical, and we're around the peak of the cycle right now."
     "There were animals that very likely had rabies, but if they haven't touched a person or pet, they aren't tested because it's an expensive process."
     Other confirmed cases of rabies this year included a raccoon found in Charlotte on May 8; another discovered in Deblois on June 26; a third captured in Baileyville on July 11; and one found in Pleasant Point on July 31. A cat suspected to have rabies in the Lubec area in early September was tested and found to not have the disease.
     Gardner cautions, "So make sure your cats and dogs are vaccinated. It's a very long and difficult process if they haven't been, and they might have to be euthanized."
     "It's very rare for humans to contract rabies," adds Gardner. "The saliva would have to enter through broken skin, so if someone is handling a wild animal that they think has rabies, whether it's alive or dead, wear gloves."
     Gardner also cautions people to avoid wild animals that are acting strangely. Along with skunks and raccoons, other animals that the State Health and Environmental Lab in Augusta has tested for rabies include bats and foxes, as well as a horse and a goat.