Naturalist predicts swift spread of rabies on Cape
By Donna Tunney/ dtunney@cnc.com
A leading Cape Cod naturalist was among those least surprised to hear about the rabid coyote that attacked a dog and its owner in Marstons Mills last week. In fact, he said, people will start hearing a lot more about rabid animals on the Cape.
"The attack was alarming, certainly, but people have to understand that rabies is spreading over the entire Cape now, but mostly through raccoons and skunks, and likely through cats," said Cape Cod naturalist Peter Trull.
Rabies has been found in every town from the Cape Cod Canal to Dennis. A vaccination program involving the scattering of fish bait laced with rabies vaccine to prevent further spread of the disease was eliminated in 2003 on the Cape and diverted elsewhere in Massachusetts, although the program was resumed last fall. In late October, about 40,000 vaccinated baits were scattered over 300 square miles in Brewster, Dennis, Harwich, Chatham, Orleans and Yarmouth.
The Marstons Mills coyote ultimately was bludgeoned by the victim's husband, then shot by police. It was the first coyote to test positive for the virus; a few raccoons have tested positive in recent months.
"This isn't a coyote problem, it's a rabies problem," said Trull.
Trull, who is perturbed by the state's elimination of the rabies prevention program in 2003, said it's too late to stop the spread of rabies now.
Rabies, he said, has reached the edges of the Lower and Outer Cape and it will be prevalent in those areas soon, probably by summer. It's important, he added, that domesticated animals are kept up-to-date with rabies vaccinations, and that cats remain inside and dogs be leashed.
"It's generally raccoons and skunks that this strain of rabies will affect, and domestic cats that are let outside - really any mid-level scavenger predator," said Trull, a frequent lecturer on coyotes and author of "Coyotes in the Neighborhood - An Informational Guide to the Habits and Life History of the Eastern Coyote."
But Trull said the fact it was a coyote - and not a skunk or raccoon - involved in the Marstons Mills attack doesn't bode well for coyotes, which already are much maligned throughout the Cape.
The incident, he said, "will just give those people with an unleavened consciousness about the presence of coyotes more negative ammunition, which seems to be what they spend their time looking for."
Coyotes, he said, typically avoid humans. In the Marstons Mills case, it was an "aberrant animal that contracted rabies," and it shouldn't be considered a "coyote issue."
Harwich animal control officer Jack Burns said foxes and coyotes are "resistant but not immune" to the strain of rabies on the Cape. "There's a low instance of rabies in those animals but take no chances," he said.
"If you encounter a fox or coyote that is acting oddly, clap your hands, throw a rock [and/or] move in the opposite direction," said Burns. The worst thing you can do, which is what happened in Marstons Mills, is to try and break up a fight between a dog and a coyote, or even two dogs, he added. Burns offered these tips for dealing with wildlife:
- Secure trash outside.
- Don't feed pets outside or leave any pet food outside.
- Avoid distributing bird seed, as it is likely to attract raccoons, skunks and even coyotes.
- Dogs should not be left unattended outside, even if a yard is fenced, although it is very unlikely any wildlife would attempt to jump a fence.
- Don't approach or try to pet any wildlife.