CENTRAL MAINE • August 13, 2025
Officials are reminding people to take precautions around animals after a recent confirmed case of rabies in Waterville. On Tuesday, a letter from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said a gray fox in the city recently tested positive for the viral disease. The fox was found at the Quarry Road Trails, a year-round recreational area. State officials also warned in recent weeks that bats, a common carrier of rabies, are most active in Maine from the middle of the summer through early September. So far this year, 21 animals in Maine tested positive for rabies in 12 counties. Fourteen raccoons, three foxes, three skunks and one bat account for the cases. In the last 20 years, Maine has had anywhere from 28 to 127 rabies cases a year.