Make New York Post a Preferred Source These trash pandas are trouble.
New York has been invaded by a plague of rabid raccoons, with Gothamites reporting surging numbers of foaming-at-the-mouth animals across multiple boroughs, sparking fears of infection.
According to city data, 2026 has already seen 26 cases spanning the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, with nearly half the cases at 12. Manhattan, meanwhile, had none (sorry, not sorry).
Overall, that’s 30% more raccoon rabies cases than all of last year — and over 12 times the 2024 total.
While these surges are cyclical, with some years seeing as many as 50, the masked menaces have invaded boroughs where they were previously uncommon.
“Historically, we never really saw that many rabid raccoons in Queens or Brooklyn,” Sally Slavinski, director of the Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Disease Unit at the New York City Health Department, told the Post. “And then in 2022, and into 2023, we saw clustering of raccoons in Queens along the Nassau County border, and then there was a spread into Brooklyn and into Long Island.”
“I reported a sick raccoon in the park by 19th and Hoyt north to 311 that got picked up by park rangers on June 11,” said one Astoria-based Redditor, who said the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed it was rabid.
On September 28, two people in Suffolk County had to receive rabies treatment after their dogs were exposed to raccoons that tested positive for rabies. They were among the 32 cases reported in the county so far this year (up 10% from last year), 31 of which involved raccoons.
It’s unclear what’s driving the spread of the disease, which primarily passes between raccoons through infected saliva, but Slavinski cited several causes.
One is a raccoon boom that’s providing more “opportunities for transmission to occur.”
While a population spike hasn’t been confirmed, Long Island notably boasts over 100 of the critters per square mile, compared to just 20–40 in rural areas, Newsday reported.
Meanwhile, one longtime Queens resident on Reddit reported a “massive raccoon colony” in Astoria that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, although this cluster remains unverified.
Meanwhile, Staten Island residents — which boasts 26 rabies cases since 2022 (the second-highest behind Queens at 39) — claimed the critters are “constantly in my yard,” and “there are so many houses going up, they have nowhere to go.”
Another possibility is that the virus is fanning out to new areas, exposing trash pandas with little immunity. Slavinski said this can occur naturally or through “translocation events” where people trap and move raccoons to new places.
In October, a dead raccoon found in an East Islip home tested positive for rabies, prompting Suffolk County to investigate how it got there in the first place, per a county report.
Contrary to movie depictions, Slavinski notes that raccoons rarely develop “the aggressive form of rabies” that causes animals to chase and bite humans, zombie-style.
Instead, rabies-infected raccoons often appear weak or disoriented, and struggle to walk due to creeping paralysis.
But it’s still best for people to keep their distance from all raccoons, since on occasion, the ring-tailed dumpster divers might try to attack when they first become sick.
Westchester County resident Frank Maida, 81, told The Post about getting mauled in 2019 by a relentless raccoon that later tested positive. “I kept kicking him and he wouldn’t leave me alone,” recalled the senior while describing the infected critter, which reportedly bit multiple people before getting dispatched with a shovel.
And even docile Ranger Ricks can transmit the virus to other mammals such as cats, which have a higher animal-to-human transmission rate than raccoons.
“When people find a sick cat, they’re more likely to pick it up, bring it to a veterinarian, and that leads to a number of people who potentially get exposed to that cat,” said Slavinski. She noted that cats are also more prone to “aggression” than raccoons — something anyone with a scratch-happy tabby at home already knows.
Avoiding bites is paramount, as rabies is 100% fatal without treatment, per the World Health Organization. It starts with flu-like symptoms, followed by rapid neurological decline that includes hallucinations, thrashing, paralysis, and foaming at the mouth.
To nip outbreaks in the bud, NYC officials distribute mustard-like packets containing an oral vaccine mixed with fishmeal.
Generally deployed in autumn, the critter candy is either scattered by hand or hidden inside specialized inoculation stations in public parks and other raccoon hotspots.
The trick, said Slavinski, is figuring out how to get the oral vaccine straight to raccoons instead of dogs or feral cats. That’s tricky in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but goes more smoothly in Staten Island, where officials can cover large tracts by helicopter, where a wildlife official can toss bait over a known raccoon habitat.
Slavinski said the unconventional methods are proven public health savers. For instance, following the 2010 rabies outbreak in Central Park, Slavinski’s team embarked on a vaccination project that essentially “eliminated raccoon rabies from Manhattan.”
Despite precautions, Slavinski doesn’t see raccoon rabies going away “anytime soon.”
“As long as we have raccoons, it’s going to continue to circulate until we find a way to produce an amazing vaccine that allows us to vaccinate a really large proportion of that population,” she said.
Still, much like Smoky Bear and his forest fires spiel, individual New Yorkers can do a lot to prevent rabies in the Big Apple.
Individuals can do their part by reporting sick, potentially infected animals—including those that appear confused or are dragging their hind legs — to 311.
And if the animal is behaving aggressively or has actually bitten someone? Call 911 stat and ensure the affected human is receiving immediate medical attention.
In an October vaccination announcement, the NYC Department of Health advised New Yorkers to keep garbage tightly sealed and refrain from leaving pet food outdoors, as this can attract raccoons to residential areas.
And don’t, under any circumstances, interact with raccoons or feed them, even if you’re convinced you’ve encountered Jimothy himself.
Along with rabies, raccoons can carry distemper, bacterial infections, raccoon roundworm, and other illnesses that both humans and pets can catch. And if you thought tainted lettuce was unbearable, a raccoon-borne illness can be infinitely worse.
