PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 11, 2025
Authorities are looking for a man who moved a rabies-infected raccoon out of a Wells roadway with his bare hands Monday. The raccoon was blocking traffic near the 1900 block of Sanford Road when police say a caller reported that the unidentified man tried to move the animal — first by poking it with a stick, then by picking it up by the scruff of its neck. “Responding officers observed that the raccoon was exhibiting signs of significant health distress, including visible porcupine quills embedded in its face,” the Wells Police Department wrote. A Wells officer euthanized the raccoon, which later tested positive for rabies. Because the man touched the infected raccoon with his bare hands, Wells police wrote in their post, he may be at risk of exposure. Nearly 50 cases of rabies have been reported across Maine so far this year, including 22 cases among raccoons.