Raccoon Rabies Vaccines Will Fall From The Sky In NYC This Week

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Rabies vaccines will fall from the sky to target raccoons ... Sorry, Rocky.

A helicopter will drop edible rabies vaccines this week in areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island where raccoon habitats are most likely to be found, officials announced.

The mass vaccination is slated to occur in Staten Island and the Gateway National Recreation Area on the border of Brooklyn and Queens from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., the Health Department said.

Cornell University and the United States Department of Agriculture wildlife biologists fromwill hover over the outer boroughs' woods, bushes and sewers — but not over residential areas, roadways or parking lots — to drop their bait, according to the city Health Department.

The bait is not harmful to people but can cause a rash, so anyone who is exposed to it should wash with warm soapy water, talk to a doctor and call the poison control center at (800) 222-1222, city officials said.

Pets cannot get rabies from the vaccine, but if they eat too much it might cause them to vomit.

More information about the mass vaccination is available on the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website.

Header photo by Kathleen Culliton, map courtesy of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene