BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 2, 2024
Though Bath has seen three cases of rabies in wildlife this summer, officials say there is no reason for residents to be alarmed. Bath is a population center surrounded by wooded areas that many animals call home, so the likelihood of people bumping into the wildlife is higher. The midcoast city saw an outbreak of rabies among wildlife in 2019, with 16 animals testing positive for the virus that year. The city partnered with the USDA to trap, euthanize and test animals to curb the spread of the disease. The entire state of Maine saw 66 cases of rabies in animals in 2023. Bath last registered a rabies case in 2020, and it was in a gray fox. Aside from that and the outbreak the year before, the city has only seen three other cases of rabies going back to 2015.