Raccoons in the park

Yep, Prospect Park. I've seen the dead raccoons all over, but more on the eastern half of the park (where there are more woods), but from PPSW all the way up to near the library. They actually tested a dead one in December and I know it was reported on several news outlets and I got alerts from some mailing lists I'm on. At least one other raccoon has tested positive for rabies in Brooklyn in 2010. Details.

Until last fall I happened to be at several talks about NYC DOH issues (lead by DOH employees) and last I heard, there were at least 125 rabid raccoons (tested) in Central Park, and a few people (maybe a kid) and dogs were bitten before they started testing (re killing) them all.

I've been trying to report many of the dead ones when they are fresh enough to test (there are parts of the park my dog and I walk at least once, sometimes twice a day so I notice new things like dead animals). Yet, the parks department hasn't even removed some and when they do pick up, they take their sweet time. All but one I have seen have been within a few feet of paths albeit, not the most used paths.

Also, I've been spending lots of time in the park, day and night (more on the outer sidewalks at night) for years and have actually been seeing fewer raccoons over the last year or so but never saw this many dead raccoons. In four months I've easily spotted 7 dead raccoons and some friends have seen some that act rabid (out roaming the grass during the day, disoriented) and have not been able to get anyone to respond.

There has been virtually no confirmed cases of rabies in Brooklyn or Manhattan in a very long time so even one case is really serious.

As for the population size of raccoons in the parks, the DOH employees I've heard speak said they really have no idea the size of the populations and nobody is really monitoring them closely enough to even make an educated guess.

I've been in many lectures on rabies over the last couple of years and it's clear that the medical world and health department employees seem to take it very seriously (which they should-a fatal virus with no cure), and I'm really frustrated with how the park employees have been responding to this.

I'm probably more concerned than others because I spend a lot of time in the park (where so many raccoons are) and b/c I've been attacked by a rabid raccoon before while riding a bike. The close encounter was in another state (an area experiencing an outbreak in raccoons and foxes at the time) and amazingly it didn't manage to bite me nor did I shit my pants but I have a heightened fear of potentially rabid animals now.