One of the raccoons thought to be drunk from eating fermented crabapples is found to actually have distemper. Authorities are warning the public to stay away from wild animals that are acting in atypical ways.
‘Drunk’ Raccoons
Just this week, two raccoons initially believed to be rabid turned out to be “drunk” from consuming fermented crabapples and were released from custody after sobering up. Just last Wednesday, authorities received a call about a third raccoon, this time observed to climb a tree and then fall off.
Authorities called non-profit organization Point of View Farms in regard, and they surmised that the raccoon had distemper based on the description of its behavior. As such, authorities trapped the raccoon that fell from the tree, and the organization suggested to re-capture the first two that were released after sobering up. Unfortunately, they found the second raccoon continuously seizing just ten feet away from where they released it.
Both raccoons had to be euthanized because of their condition, and both were sent for testing just to make sure that they did not have rabies even if the veterinary agrees that it was distemper.
As for the first raccoon released, authorities are still hoping that it was, indeed, drunk and that it is still thriving in the wild.
Distemper
Because of the incident, authorities are warning the public to stay away from wildlife, particularly when it is acting strangely.
“Remember their natural instinct should be to avoid people or to run away,” the Milton Police Department wrote in the Facebook update regarding the raccoons.
Canine distemper is a very contagious and serious disease that is caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems of puppies and dogs. Distemper is also common in raccoons, skunks, and foxes, particularly in the summer when animals become more active.
Its symptoms are fairly similar to that of rabies so that it is impossible to tell rabies from distemper apart without laboratory testing. As such, it is vital for people to avoid animals exhibiting strange behavior, and to keep pets’ distemper vaccine updated.
