These trash pandas are a problem.
New York has been overrun by an outbreak of rabid raccoons, with Gothamites reporting an increase in the animals foaming at the mouth in several boroughs, sparking fears of infection.
According to city data, 2026 has already seen 26 cases spread across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, with nearly half of the cases numbering 12. Manhattan, meanwhile, had none (sorry, not sorry).
Overall, that’s 30% more raccoon rabies cases than all of last year — and more than 12 times the 2024 total.
Although these outbreaks are cyclical, reaching 50 in some years, the masked threats have invaded neighborhoods where they were previously rare.
“Historically, we’ve never really seen this many rabid raccoons in Queens or Brooklyn,” Sally Slavinski, director of the New York City Health Department’s zoonotic and vector-borne disease unit, told the Post. “And then in 2022, and then in 2023, we saw a clustering of raccoons in Queens along the Nassau County line, and then there was a spread to Brooklyn and Long Island.”
Residents of the Big Apple are feeling the effects.
“I reported a sick raccoon in the park on 19th and Hoyt North at 311 that was picked up by park rangers on June 11,” said an Astoria-based Redditor, who said the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed it was rabid.
On September 28, two people in Suffolk County required treatment for rabies after their dogs were exposed to raccoons that tested positive for rabies. They were among 32 cases reported in the county so far this year (up 10% from last year), 31 of which involved raccoons.
Anti-rabies day
It’s unclear what’s driving the spread of the disease, which is primarily transmitted between raccoons through infected saliva, but Slavinski cited several causes.
One of them is a raccoon boom that provides more “opportunities for transmission.”
Although a population spike has not been confirmed, Long Island notably has more than 100 creatures per square mile, compared to just 20 to 40 in rural areas, Newsday reported.
Meanwhile, a longtime Queens resident on Reddit reported a “massive colony of raccoons” in Astoria that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, although this group remains unverified.
Meanwhile, residents of Staten Island – which has had 26 rabies cases since 2022 (the second highest behind Queens with 39) – claimed the creatures are “constantly in my yard” and “there are so many houses being built that they have nowhere to go.”
Another possibility is that the virus spreads to new areas, exposing trash pandas with low immunity. Slavinski said this can happen naturally or during “translocation events” in which people trap and move raccoons to new locations.
In October, a dead raccoon found in an East Islip home tested positive for rabies, prompting Suffolk County to investigate how it got there, according to a county report.
Risk factors
Contrary to depictions in the films, Slavinski notes that raccoons rarely develop “the aggressive form of rabies” that causes the animals to hunt and bite humans, zombie-style.
Instead, raccoons infected with rabies often appear weak or disoriented and have difficulty walking due to creeping paralysis.
But it’s always best for people to keep their distance all raccoons, as on occasion, ring-tailed dumpster divers may attempt to attack when they first become ill.
Westchester County resident Frank Maida, 81, told the Post he was mauled in 2019 by a relentless raccoon that later tested positive. “I kept kicking him and he wouldn’t leave me alone,” the elder recalled describing the infected creature, which reportedly bit several people before being disposed of with a shovel.
And even docile Ranger Ricks can transmit the virus to other mammals such as cats, which have a higher rate of animal-to-human transmission than raccoons.
“When people find a sick cat, they are more likely to pick it up and take it to a veterinarian, which leads to a number of people potentially being exposed to that cat,” Slavinski said. She noted that cats are also more prone to “aggression” than raccoons — something anyone with a tabby cat at home already knows.
It is essential to avoid bites because rabies is 100% fatal without treatment, according to the World Health Organization. It begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by rapid neurological decline including hallucinations, strokes, paralysis and foaming at the mouth.
Vaccine collector
To nip outbreaks in the bud, New York authorities are handing out mustard-like packets containing an oral vaccine mixed with fish meal.
Typically deployed in the fall, the creature candies are either scattered by hand or hidden at specialized inoculation stations in public parks and other raccoon hotspots.
The trick, Slavinski said, is figuring out how to administer the oral vaccine directly to raccoons rather than to feral dogs or cats. It’s tricky in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but it happens more easily on Staten Island, where authorities can cover vast areas by helicopter, where a wildlife official can drop bait over known raccoon habitat.
Slavinski said unconventional methods save public health. For example, following the 2010 Central Park rabies outbreak, Slavinski’s team embarked on a vaccination project that essentially “eliminated raccoon rabies from Manhattan.”
Individual measurements
Despite the precautions taken, Slavinski doesn’t see raccoon rabies disappearing “any time soon.”
“As long as we have raccoons, they will continue to circulate until we find a way to produce an amazing vaccine that allows us to vaccinate a very large proportion of this population,” she said.
Yet, just like Smoky Bear and his wildfire talk, New Yorkers can do a lot to prevent rabies in the Big Apple.
Individuals can do their part by reporting sick and potentially infected animals to 311, including those that appear confused or are dragging their hind legs.
What if the animal behaves aggressively or actually bit someone? Call 911 stat and make sure the affected person receives immediate medical attention.
In an October vaccination announcement, the New York Department of Health advised New Yorkers to keep their trash tightly closed and to refrain from leaving pet food outside because it could attract raccoons to residential areas.
And do not interact with or feed the raccoons under any circumstances, even if you are convinced that you have encountered Jimothy himself.
In addition to rabies, raccoons can carry distemper, bacterial infections, raccoon roundworms and other diseases that humans and pets can contract. And if you thought rotten lettuce was unbearable, a raccoon-borne illness can be infinitely worse.
Gn Health
