A specialist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management believes the number of sick raccoons euthanized in Barrington in the last three months is higher than normal. 

Morgan Lucot, the RIDEM Furbearer Specialist, was responding to news that Barrington Police euthanized nearly two dozen sick raccoons from the start of September through the end of November. 

“The number of sick raccoons euthanized in Barrington is higher than normal, according to our records,” Lucot wrote in an email to the Barrington Times. “Several of the local police departments opt to handle cases of sick wildlife, and if there is not human exposure the state may never receive the records. However, Barrington did reach out to RI DEM to discuss the issue further.”

In a recent interview, Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said all indications are that the raccoons are sick with distemper. Canine distemper is a virus that is prevalent in canids and other wildlife such as foxes, raccoons, skunks and coyotes, according to RIDEM. It is highly contagious and the symptoms often resemble those of rabies. It is not transmittable to humans.

Lucot wrote that RIDEM has not been alerted to any other communities in Rhode Island that are experiencing similar spikes in distemper.

“The cause of any fluctuation in wildlife disease can be hard to pinpoint,” Lucot wrote, “and we do not know the origin of this year’s distemper cases in Barrington, or why the issue may be localized to that area.”

Residents are strongly encourage to vaccinate their pets against distemper, and rabies vaccinations are required by law, Lucot wrote. 

“It is important to note that rabies and distemper share similar symptoms like neurological issues and uncoordinated movements,” Lucot wrote. “Any pet or person that has interacted with sick wildlife should seek medical help and contact the Department of Health for directions. Additionally any animal showing these symptoms should not be approached by the public.”

Lucot added that there have been other instances during the last five years where communities have seen periodic spikes in wildlife distemper cases. 

“In those cases the outbreak slowed itself while the communities organized a pet vaccination initiative,” Lucot wrote. 

According to Lucot, RIDEM did not opt to test any of the sick raccoons euthanized in Barrington. 

“As far as we had been made aware there was no human contact and so no need for disease testing at this time,” Lucot wrote, adding that testing for distemper, rabies, and other diseases is commonly carried out on dead animals.