Woodchuck tests positive for rabies in Ticonderoga

By CNN Newsource

Published June 28, 2023 1:49 PM

By Molly Ormsbee

TICONDEROGA, New York (WPTZ) — The Essex County Health Department (ECHD) has issued an alert about a woodchuck that tested positive for rabies.

Officials say a DEC officer was alerted by a resident of a woodchuck acting aggressively. The officer arrived in the area with the intent to capture the wild animal for the purpose of rabies testing.

After consulting with the health department, the specimen was prepared and shipped to the NYSDOH Wadsworth Laboratory.

This is the first confirmed case of rabies in a woodchuck species since 2012 in Ticonderoga. A second woodchuck from Ticonderoga was retrieved and submitted for rabies testing. Those results are pending.

So far in 2023, cases have been confirmed in three gray foxes, one raccoon, and one woodchuck.

For more information about rabies and to register for free rabies vaccination clinics, visit essexcountyny.gov/health.

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