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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 11, 2005 Canine disease threatens raccoon population, other animals By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A resurgence of canine distemper this spring among raccoons in Medford and Ashland has prompted wildlife biologists to ban the relocation of trapped raccoons to keep the fatal disease in check. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife now requires that nuisance raccoons caught in those cities either be euthanized or released inside city limits to curb the virus’ spread to other canine and critter communities. Infected animals often have runny noses and eyes, and they often appear disoriented and uninterested in food or water. The virus is highly contagious and generally fatal. Distemper outbreaks are cyclical, typically occurring when raccoon populations spike in urban areas. A similar outbreak in 1992 killed hundreds of raccoons, opossums and other animals. It can be spread to dogs if the pets are not vaccinated. "I think this is the year," said Rosemary Stussy, the ODFW’s wildlife biologist who handles animal complaints at the agency’s White City office. Advertisement "I wouldn’t call it an epidemic yet, but I want to keep it from getting there," Stussy said. "Hopefully, this will contain it to Medford and Ashland." Other trapped animals, such as skunks, still can be relocated out of the cities under a case-by-case basis for now, Stussy said. Opossums are non-native species and cannot legally be relocated. Skunks are susceptible to distemper, but opossums are not. The only exception to the new raccoon policy is provided for the ODFW’s Wildlife Response Team, composed of trained volunteers who handle many of the agency’s critter complaints. "I trust their judgment," Stussy said. "If they get one and it’s healthy, they can release it." ODFW biologists in other areas of the state have a more strict policy of no relocation of nuisance animals. "This is the first step," Stussy said. "If this doesn’t nip it in the bud, we may have to go to that policy." Professional "critter trappers" such as Louis Glinkman of Ashland say many residents likely will opt to live with nuisance raccoons instead of having them killed. "A lot of my customers are pretty compassionate," Glinkman said. "If (the raccoons) don’t do a lot of damage, they’ll decide to live with it. "I’ve had to snuff a few that I knew were sick," Glinkman said. "But it’s awful hard to take an animal that looks healthy and do anything to it." Stussy said residents experiencing raccoon or skunk problems should remove whatever drew the animals to their homes. Measures include feeding pets indoors and blocking access to potential den sites, particularly under houses. "This is canine distemper," Stussy said. "If your dog is not up with his shots and he comes across one of these (infected raccoons), it can be bad." Veterinarians recommend a series of vaccinations for puppies followed by a shot at 1 year old, said Dr. Lynn Babbitt at Siskiyou Veterinary Hospital in Medford. Boosters are needed every one to three years after that, but Babbitt’s hospital recommends boosters every two years. "Canine distemper is a nasty virus," Babbitt said. "It’s going to kill almost every dog that gets it." For years, the ODFW office here has required trapped raccoons and other nuisance animals to be released at least 10 miles away from town and near a water source. Stussy said her office may move toward a no-relocation policy because agency biologists have documented outbreaks of distemper in areas where raccoons have been relocated. "It’s hard for the individual animal but maybe it’s good for the population that we don’t get these spikes (in population) and outbreaks," Stussy said. Next to cougars, raccoons generate the second most complaints to the ODFW’s White City office. The office logged 230 complaints in 2004, more than double that of the previous year and a likely indication of a spike in the population, Stussy said. Stussy issued 36 permits for private residents who trapped and relocated 64 raccoons for damage or safety reasons, she said. Those numbers do not include work done by Glinkman and other professional trappers, she said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s