Rabies in wildlife

Overview

Rabies is a dangerous disease which can infect any mammal including humans, pets, livestock and wildlife.

Once clinical signs of rabies show, it is almost always fatal. If rabies is left unchecked, it can spread at a rate of 50 kilometres per year.

Since 1989, we have been working to control and eliminate terrestrial wildlife rabies (raccoon and fox strain rabies) in Ontario through:

• annual rabies management operations
• pet vaccinations

In Ontario, the most common carriers of rabies are:

• bats
• foxes
• skunks
• raccoons

Three major strains of rabies have been found in Ontario: fox, raccoon and bat rabies. Rabies strains are named for their most common carrier, however any strain can occur in any mammal. All strains of rabies are dangerous and cause the rabies disease in any mammal including humans, pets and livestock.

Signs of rabies

There are two forms of rabies in animals:

• dumb form
• furious form

Some animals can show signs of both forms.

Many clinical signs of rabies are similar to canine distemper. Co-infection can also happen. This means an animal can be infected with distemper and rabies or other diseases at the same time.

How rabies spreads

Rabies is a virus that can spread from an infected mammal to any other mammal, including humans, pets, livestock and wildlife.

The virus is found in the saliva and nervous tissue of infected mammals. It can be spread by:

• bites that break the skin
• getting saliva from an infected animal in an open cut, sore, or other wound
• getting saliva from an infected animal in the mouth, nose, or eyes
• direct contact with infected brain or nervous system tissue. For example, through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth

Rabies can not be transmitted through contact with the blood, urine or feces of an infected animal.

Wildlife that carry rabies

In Ontario, the most common carriers of rabies are:

Other wildlife that have occasionally tested positive for rabies in Ontario are:

• beaver
• black bear
• elk (from a zoo)
• field mouse
• fisher
• groundhog
• hare
• mink
• muskrat
• otter
• rabbit
• weasel
• white-tailed deer
• wild boar (wild released)

Coyotes, wolves and opossums are susceptible to rabies but are rarely infected in Ontario.

Non-mammals, including fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians (such as frogs and toads) can not get rabies.

Read about rabies cases detected in Ontario.

Bats

Bats are an important part of our ecosystem and play an essential role in insect pest control, pollination, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling.

Bats are common carriers of the rabies virus in Ontario and North America.

While bat strain rabies is present across Ontario, the percentage of rabid bats is low.

Bats have small, needle-like teeth and claws. Bites or scratches from a bat can easily go undetected. Any bat you may have been exposed to should be considered rabid unless it is captured and tests negative for rabies.

Learn more about preventing conflict with bats.

Vaccination and wild bats

There is not practical way to vaccinate wild bats against rabies.

To be effective, animals must chew the oral rabies vaccine bait. The vaccine will not work for bats because bats feed on insects.

The best way to protect people and pets from bat rabies is:

• public education
• pet vaccination

Report unusual bat deaths:

To report any unusual bat deaths, contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre either:

• by phone at 1-866-673-4781.
• online, using their online reporting tool

Rabies Cases

Find information on rabies cases in Canada, including bats, on: 

• the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) website
• Ontario's Rabies cases webpage

Help stop rabies

You can help to stop the spread of rabies by:

• checking your cargo, truck, boat and trailer for stowaway wildlife like raccoons, especially if you’re leaving the United States
• removing food sources around your home that might attract wildlife, including pet food
• contacting local animal control if you find a wild animal in your house, truck or cargo
• not releasing wildlife without approval from the ministry
• never trapping and relocating wildlife. It’s important to never move wild animals more than one kilometre

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Report a rabid animal in the wild

If you suspect a wild animal may have rabies:

1. If humans have been exposed, report the incident to your local health unit, doctor or local emergency department.
2. If a domestic animal may have been exposed, call your veterinarian.
   • If you are a veterinarian and need help assessing whether an animal has been exposed to rabies, check out the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMARA) update that provides a risk assessment flowchart and how to access support online, and call their Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300
3. If neither a human nor a domestic animal has been exposed, and the animal is alive and it can be done safely, confine the animal and then call one of the following:
   • local police force or OPP detachment (in emergency situations)
   • your municipal animal control department (for non-emergencies in urban areas)
   • a private nuisance animal control agency in your area (for non-emergencies in urban and rural areas)
   • Rabies Information Line at 1-888-574-6656 (for non-emergencies and advice on who to call)
   • the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society (for sick/injured animals only)
   • an authorized wildlife rehabilitator (for sick/injured wildlife only)
   • you can also contact the Ontario Fur Managers Federation for non-emergencies in rural areas
4. If neither a human nor a domestic animal has been exposed, and the animal is dead call the ministry's Wildlife Health Information Line at 1-888-574-6656.
5. For dead bats, contact the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at 1-866-673-4781 or report using their online reporting tool.

Descriptive transcript: What do I do if I suspect an animal has rabies