Tennessee is taking to the skies for another year to vaccinate wild raccoons against rabies to prevent it from spreading to pets, livestock and humans.
The Tennessee Department of Health and USDA are planning several rabies vaccine "air drops" for another year in a row this October.
Here's how it works: Teams coat special vaccine packets with bait that are designed to trick unknowing raccoons into getting their rabies vaccine. Those packets are dropped from the skies into areas where raccoons are known to roam. When the raccoons eat the bait packets they will be vaccinated, and thankfully raccoons are not known to be particularly picky eaters.
People in the area where the airdrops are happening might catch one of the planes or helicopters in the air.
TDH Epidemiologist Jane Yackley said these measures are necessary to prevent rabies from spreading to other animals, pets and humans.
"That's important to stop the spread of rabies from wildlife to pets or wildlife, to livestock and wildlife to humans, and that's one way we prevent rabies in our loved ones and in our furry friends -- by also preventing rabies from spreading across the state in raccoons," she said.
The drops are scheduled to take place later this month in several East Tennessee counties, including Cocke, Greene, Hawkins, McMinn and Monroe counties.