07/18/2026
🦝⚠️ Raccoon Rabies Alert! ⚠️
Please be extra careful around wildlife and make sure your fur babies are up to date on their rabies vaccines. 💉🐾
If you see a raccoon acting strangely, keep your distance and contact your local animal services.
Stay safe and protect your pets! ❤️🐶🐱
– KB Pet Care 🐾
Raccoon Rabies Cases Confirmed Near Ontario’s Border
We wanted to share this as an awareness update for our community.
Health officials have confirmed an ongoing outbreak of raccoon variant rabies in parts of Quebec and New York State. Since January 2026, more than 100 cases have been identified in wildlife in Quebec, with some cases occurring close to the Ontario border near Gananoque, Hill Island, and approximately 20 km east of Cornwall.
The important thing to know: There are currently no known cases of raccoon rabies in the Greater Toronto Area.
As a precaution, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is increasing surveillance in eastern Ontario and will be distributing oral rabies vaccine baits by air and by hand in areas including Gananoque, Ivy Lea, Wolfe Island, Cornwall, Johnstown, and Thousand Islands National Park. These vaccine baits are a proven wildlife management tool that help immunize racc***s, skunks, and foxes, reducing the spread of rabies before it reaches new areas.
Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system of mammals and is almost always fatal once symptoms develop. Although the risk to the public remains very low, it’s always important to take simple precautions:
- Never approach or handle wild animals.
- Keep your pets’ rabies vaccinations up to date.
⚠️ If you see wildlife that appears unusually aggressive, unusually tame, disoriented, staggering, or is found dead without an obvious cause, report it to the Ministry of Natural Resources Wildlife Health Information Line: 1-888-574-6656.
There is no reason for concern in the GTA, but we believe staying informed is the best way to protect both our communities and our local wildlife.
