Cape May County is about to start distributing 31,000 rabies vaccine-laden baits starting the week of Sept. 24.

County Health Officer Kevin Thomas said wild animals —raccoons, skunks, feral cats — will hopefully eat the baits and become rabies-protected. The baits are encased in fish meal and are dropped out of a helicopter.

He said the fact that the county is a peninsula makes it easier for officials to keep out rabies this way.

Thomas believes Cape May County is the only count using these rabies baits. Elsewhere in the country, Texas is known for using baits to control rabies in coyotes.

As to their effectiveness, he says the county has had "one positive rabies case with a racoon this year. And I think that there was only one last year. So our incidence of rabies is very low."

He adds that dog owners should not worry if their pet accidentally chews on one of the baits.

"It is pretty much just like getting a booster shot," he said.

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