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Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits to Be Distributed in Maine

Annual Effort to Reduce Rabies in Raccoon Population

USDA Wildlife Services in Cooperation with CDC to Distribute Approximately 384,000 Baits

AUGUSTA, Maine — As part of ongoing rabies control efforts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will distribute approximately 384,000 oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits in Aroostook and Penobscot counties in northeastern Maine from August 5.

The distribution will cover two areas: one in northern Aroostook County and one in central Penobscot County. Crews will spread the baits by air and ground. The expanded distribution zones for 2024 were determined in response to two rabid raccoons detected near the New Brunswick, Canada border earlier this year.

The ORV baits are designed to be ingested by raccoons, the primary carriers of rabies in Maine. The vaccine is safe for raccoons and other wildlife, and it does not pose a risk to humans or pets. The goal of the distribution is to create a “buffer zone” of vaccinated raccoons along the border to prevent the spread of rabies from Canada.