So, the USDA is set to begin carpet bombing most of N.C., among other states.
Planes Dropping Rabies VaccineSTAFF REPORTS
August 7, 2006 8:36 am
Fish-flavored food falling from the sky starting today is designed to vaccinate raccoons against rabies.
The packets dropped from airplanes are intended to stop the rabies virus from spreading west of the Appalachians from states along the Eastern Seaboard, where the disease is already widespread.
The aerial distribution of the vaccine-laced bait begins Monday through a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agricultures Wildlife Services Agency in cooperation with the N.C. Division of Public Health.
The bait will be dropped in portions of Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Mitchell, Swain and Yancey counties and the northeast tip of Jackson County.
If you find a bait packet near your home, it's best to leave it alone unless it is on your lawn, driveway, or other area not likely to attract a raccoon. While wearing a glove, you can move the bait to an area of thicker cover where a raccoon will be more likely to find it. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after any contact with the bait.
If a child touches broken bait, wash the exposed skin and call the U.S. Department of Agricultures Wildlife Services office at (866) 487-3297 for further instructions and referral.
Anyone else been subject to this before? I hope I get it see one of the bombing runs...
Hhhmm, this ought to get the local 'chemtrail' conspiracists all in a tizzy.
an attempt to breed a species of super smart raccoon overlords.
What do you mean by "attempt" blasphemous unbeliever?!? My bandit-masked Overlords will have their vengeance upon thee tootsweet.
I can see the news report now . . .
There were amazing scenes in North Carolina today following the first drop of rabies-vaccine-carrying food to the local raccoon population.
Apparently competition among the raccoons for the free food was so fierce that fighting erupted across a wide stretch of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This spilled over onto local roads, where mobs of raccoons fought each other for scraps of baited food that had fallen into gutters and storm-water drains.
An eighteen-wheeler, trying to avoid the scurrying combatants, overturned and dumped its load of 40,000 eggs on the grass verge, leading to even more raccoons joining the food fight.
The noise brought several inquisitive bears out of the woods, and they joined in the eggstravaganza, gorging themselves on the thousands of eggs scattered for hundreds of yards around.
One bear, irritated at being hooted at by passing motorists, began lobbing eggs at vehicles on the nearby Interstate, which caused numerous reports to State Police of assault on vehicles. Responding to these complaints, several State Police cars were bombarded by the bears, leading to their calling in air support.
The air support proceeded to drop water-bombs on the offending bears, who retaliated by calling in the local eagle population to poop all over the helicopters' windscreens . . .