CROSS-BORDER RACCOON BROUGHT RABIES TO ONTARIO

Scientists say they have evidence suggesting a rabid raccoon hitchhiked more than 500 kilometres into Ontario from southeastern New York state to ignite the province’s first rabies outbreak in a decade. Susan Nadin-Davis, a researcher with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency who focuses on rabies research, said she was surprised at the result and had to run tests again to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. “I went back and re-analyzed the sample in order to confirm there hadn’t been a mixup or cross-contamination,” she said. A fight between two Hamilton dogs and an aggressive raccoon in December led to the discovery of the first documented case of rabies in a raccoon in the province since 2005. The outbreak has ballooned to 128 cases of raccoon strain rabies in raccoons and skunks, officials say.