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Distemper Virus Cases Surging Among Skunks, Raccoons In St. Thomas
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An explosion of distemper cases among St. Thomas' wildlife has prompted the city to take a more proactive role dealing with sick or injured skunks and raccoons.
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Brian Williams • Local Journalism Initiative reporterPublished May 08, 2024 • 3 minute read
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File photo Article content An explosion of distemper cases in skunks and raccoons has prompted St. Thomas officials to change how they respond to sick and injured animals.
St. Thomas city council voted to expand the role of the city's animal services in picking up sick or injured skunks and raccoons after an animal-rehabilitation clinic asked for help due to widespread cases of distemper in the animals this year.
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"The reason we were really pushing this issue is because we want those animals out of the population because it spreads like wildfire," said Carol Clarke, who runs Another Chance Wildlife Rescue.
Distemper is a disease caused by the highly contagious canine distemper virus that infects the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, spinal cord and brain, and is common and widespread in Ontario infecting animals such as dogs, coyotes, foxes, wolves, skunks and raccoons. The disease is not transferable to humans.
The expansion of St. Thomas's policy will enable the city's animal services to pick up sick and injured skunks and raccoons on both public and private property but animals in or under private structures will be the owner's responsibility to contact a pest control company.
Prior to council's vote on Monday, city staff would only collect sick or injured raccoons on public property.
Clarke said the rescue always has had raccoons with distemper but the number of skunks infected with distemper has skyrocketed this year.
Last year, Clarke's organization encountered two skunks with distemper the entire year, she said. So far in 2024, Clarke said she has collected more than 40 skunks in St. Thomas with the disease.
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"We couldn't believe it," Clarke said. "It was crazy."
A city staff report said the disease usually spreads between May and November, but the mild winter has led to a "sustained level of spread that continued into this spring."
It's not just St. Thomas that is seeing a spike in distemper cases this year.
Colleen Burns runs Fur-Ever Wild Rehabilitation in Port Stanley, and services surrounding areas such as Union, Sparta and Belmont. Burns said she's been busy since the first day of 2024.
"New Year's Day was the first call I got, and I got two calls in one day and never stopped," Burns said.
So far this year, Burns said she has encountered about 40 raccoons with distemper in Port Stanley alone. Burns said it's a significant increase from about a dozen she usually comes across for an entire year.
London's Animal Care Centre also has seen a higher volume of calls for skunks and around double for raccoons, said supervisor Jamie Round.
But Round couldn't say how many of the calls were for distemper, noting cases of the disease have "peaks and valleys."
Wildlife organizations such as the ones run by Clarke and Burns are authorized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, but don't receive financial support and rely on public donations and volunteers to operate.
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St. Thomas city hall's expanded services allow wildlife organizations to participate in other capacities rather than taking wildlife to be euthanized.
"We have better things to do than pick up animals that need to be put down," Clarke said. "We're swamped right now because it's baby season (and) I would rather devote my time to rescuing the babies and helping them, than picking up sick raccoons and skunks and taking them to be euthanized."
bwilliams@postmedia.Com@BrianWatLFPressThe Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
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A 'zombie' Virus Is Running Rampant Among Toronto Raccoons
City staff are warning Toronto residents against approaching or feeding raccoons — whether they look sick, injured, or completely healthy — thanks to a "zombie" virus that's spreading rampantly throughout the wildlife species.
Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a viral disease that affects a wide variety of mammal families, including domestic and wild species of dogs, foxes, skunks, and raccoons.
The virus infects an animal's respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, spinal cord, and brain. When infected raccoons may move slowly and stumble as they walk, lose fear of humans, appear blind and confused, and may wander aimlessly.
Sick raccoons may also have eye and nose discharge, unkempt fur, experience seizures, coughing, or chewing fits, and may curl up to sleep in an open area.
Raccoons with distemper generally act disoriented or lethargic but can become aggressive in cornered. Although canine distemper does not pose a threat to human health, dogs that have not been vaccinated for distemper can become infected if they come in contact with a sick raccoon.
According to Ontario Wildlife Removal, the visual signs of distemper versus rabies in raccoons is that a raccoon infected with rabies may act more aggressively, while a raccoon infected with distemper be more disoriented and less afraid of humans.
In April, Toronto Animal Services (TAS) revealed that the number of calls for sick and injured raccoons has already spiked in 2024, with a staggering 3,600 calls so far this year compared with just 719 between January and April 2022.
Last year, Toronto Public Health (TPH) issued a warning to the public, advising residents to steer clear of raccoons and all other wild animals, citing a "significant increase in the number of sick and injured raccoons and in the number of reported cases of people bitten and/or scratched by raccoons."
"We remind everyone to avoid contact with raccoons and other wild animals to minimize exposure to rabies," said Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health, in 2023.
"Treatment is very uncomfortable and avoidable. If necessary, it's most effective if started promptly after the exposure," added de Villa, warning that "the rabies vaccine is extremely effective but must be administered before symptoms appear."
TPH noted that many of these cases are preventable and cautioned that many reports are often the result of voluntary actions, including feeding or petting raccoons.
If you spot a raccoon, TPH advises you to stay away and not risk physical contact. Animals that appear to be sick or are behaving strangely should be reported to 311.
A 'zombie' Virus Is Raging Among Raccoons. What To Know
A virus that can turn a raccoon into a "zombie" has been raging for years, with outbreaks reported in many parts of Canada.
Here's what to do if you encounter a raccoon with canine distemper virus (CDV).
CDV will make a raccoon act strangely, according to Bill Dowd, founder and CEO of wildlife control company Skedaddle Wildlife.
"They will not be afraid of humans," he told Global News. "They almost will look like a zombie or possessed, they'll get up on their hind legs. They'll start baring their teeth, maybe growling."
Dowd said raccoons with the virus can be out in the daytime and they may topple over, like they are a "drunk raccoon." The virus is lethal for raccoons and may cause them to approach humans and be aggressive if cornered.
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He said to not try to approach the raccoon or relocate it as that could spread the virus to other animals, but to call local authorities, such as the humane society.
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Nathalie Karvonen, the executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre animal hospital, told Global News that distemper virus has been "raging" for 15-20 years in Toronto and was initially spread by pets.
The latest health and medical news emailed to you every Sunday.While pets are usually vaccinated against it, there is no current vaccination campaign for raccoons since humans can't catch the virus, she said.
"It's actually quite sad for the raccoons," Karvonen said.
Toronto Animal Services (TAS) reported in April that the number of service calls for sick and injured raccoons has spiked in 2024, with an increase to 3,600 calls so far this year compared with 719 between January and April 2022.
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"With it being warmer, there are more animals that are out, and they are continuing to congregate and come into contact with each other, which further causes the virus to keep spreading," TAS manager Jasmine Herzog-Evans said.
The virus may also lead to more instances of raccoons hit by cars. There were 2,090 service requests for cadaver pickups between March and April this year, up 600 from that time last year, according to Toronto Animal Services.
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Symptoms of CDV could be similar to rabies, which have been a concern in Quebec recently.
In response to a number of rabies cases in the state of Vermont, including one 10 kilometres from the Quebec border, Quebec carried out a vaccination campaign in late April.
The province distributed 46,200 vaccine baits, including by air dropping them. The vaccine bait resembles a greenish ketchup pack and gives off a sweet smell to attract raccoons.
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While there was a spike in rabies cases in 2016 in Ontario, the province says the disease has since been brought under control and cases among raccoons are down 90 per cent. The province vaccinates raccoons against rabies every year.
If you do get scratched by a raccoon, Dowd said to get medical attention immediately, as you may need a rabies shot.
While it's rare for raccoons to attack humans, there have been cases of people taking one in and trying to train it, which experts strongly urge against. That is because the raccoon will expect food from humans and not be afraid of them, and they are capable of opening doors with their claws.
— with files from Global News' Brittany Rosen.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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