There are new critters lurking about Morningside Park and Central Park—and unlike the dogs out for a stroll, they’re not looking to be man’s best friend.
Rabid raccoons have increasingly become a problem in northern Manhattan, prompting city officials to take action this month, distributing warning flyers throughout the neighborhood and increasing surveillance of local parks.
“We have a rabid raccoon issue in the upper Manhattan areas, which apparently is not getting any better, despite the colder weather,” Michael Congo, a public information specialist at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said in an e-mail in early January to numerous local residents and community groups.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has identified 15 raccoons infected with rabies over the past year in the local area. 11 were identified in 2009, and 4 more have since been recorded. Of these 15 rabid raccoons, most were in northern Central Park and one was found in Morningside Park.
Jacquie Connors, president of Friends of Morningside Park, said that she first noticed a dead raccoon in Morningside Park on Dec. 15, 2009. She immediately reported it to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and to supervisors from a government agency called New York Animal Control. The Central Park Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that manages Central Park, informed her that the raccoon had tested positive for rabies.
Brad Taylor, former president of Friends of Morningside Park and the chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee of Community Board 9, said that they learned about the Central Park raccoons after they reported the Morningside Heights sighting. “We didn’t know anything about it until this one raccoon showed up that was rabid,” he said, adding that it is important to call 311 when raccoons are sighted.
Around Jan. 12, 2010, the Department of Parks & Recreation posted advisories in Morningside Park, Taylor said. The health department has also increased its surveillance efforts, according to health department spokesperson, Celina De Leon.
Community Board 7 of the Upper West Side is aware of the problem, but has yet to receive any direct reports of sightings, according to CB7 District Manager Penny Ryan, who said that the Department of Health is responsible for responding.
Despite the city’s precautionary measures, some dog owners in Morningside Heights are concerned that these agencies aren’t doing enough.
“I know a lot of people are complaining that they’re not doing anything,” Erin Richardson said while walking her dog through Morningside Park. “I heard they’re trying to kill all of them, but there’s no sort of evidence of that.”
Morningside Heights resident Alix Kutnick, said, while walking her dog through Morningside Park, “The fact that they’re now out in broad daylight and don’t even run away when my dog barks at them—that’s a real problem.” Kutnick no longer lets her dog off his leash.
Others said that such concern is unwarranted.
“This is a concern, but we don’t want to panic,” said Bob Marino, president of the New York Council of Dog Owner groups, a collective umbrella organization that represents 50,000 dog owners in the city. “People see rabies and tend to panic. The numbers are miniscule,” he said.
Local veterinarians said that it is simply important that the correct precautionary measures be taken.
Henry M. Fierman, a veterinarian at Cathedral Dog & Cat Hospital at 101st Street and Broadway, said, “It is a very urgent matter that people be alerted and that people be aware.”
COMMENTS
Comments will be moderated in accordance with our comment policy