WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. — A refrigerated trailer at Dalton Municipal Airport in Whitfield County contains a precious cargo that looks like packets of ketchup.
“The bait itself is highly attractive. It’s got a fish coating and fish oil. It stinks,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Field Coordinator Jordona Kirby told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen.
Kirby says it’s tasty, if you’re a raccoon.
The feds and contractor Dynamic Aviation are dropping 600,000 of the little packets containing vaccines over the North Georgia Mountains, to prevent the spread of rabies. They dropped 150,000 doses on Friday.
“What people probably don’t realize is that rabies is still very much an issue in the United States,” Kirby said.
Especially in Georgia, where raccoons are the number one carrier, and more than 1,000 state residents need medical treatment every year because of possible exposure.
The baits contain an oral vaccine, eaten by raccoons and other critters, and prevents the spread of the disease.
“We have been able to prevent any considerable spread of rabies, most commonly transmitted by raccoons, and locally eliminate it in strategic areas in North Georgia,” Kirby said,
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the baits won’t hurt your pets, but they might cause a bellyache.
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