Try this one:
FRELIGHSBURG, Canada (AFP) - Dozens of trappers have left their more lucrative prey of foxes and mink to catch raccoons along the US Canadian border that have caused an outbreak of rabies in eastern Canada.
"Good morning my little smart aleck! How are you today, my little smart aleck?," muttered Raynbald Ferland to a trembling raccoon that was lured inside a trap by odorous sardine and marshmallow bait.
After rabies first struck in May 2006, Quebec authorities launched a huge campaign on the borders with the US states of Vermont and New York to stem the outbreak of the viral disease that is fatal to humans if left untreated.
The raccoon-stopping effort got a bigger boost still after Vermont announced it had detected 50 cases of rabies in the first few months of 2007.
Since the start of the summer, the French-speaking Canadian province has picked up around 40 rabid raccoons and 3,000 of the furry, striped mammals have been euthanized as a precautionary measure.
The raccoon is a leading transmitter of rabies since it lives close to human habitats often feeding on garbage in the city and on crops in the countryside. The cat-size mammal with striped tail and black, mask-like markings over its eyes also comes into contact with domestic animals, who can unwittingly become a dangerous vehicle for the spread of the disease to humans.
Rabies kills some 50,000 people each year around the world. In Canada, the last death from rabies occurred in 2000.
"Our goal is to truly eradicate this outbreak of rabies in Quebec," said Daniel Guerin, who coordinates the vast "Operation Raccoon" from his headquarters in Frelighsburg, a peaceful village on Quebec's border with Vermont.
"There were no rabid raccoons in Quebec before, but there were in Vermont. I guess an educated explanation is that it moved from Vermont to Quebec," said Martin Lowny, New York Wildlife service state director for the US Department of Agriculture.
In addition to Vermont, several US states, including Ohio and New York, have reported cases of raccoon rabies.
The United States has launched a campaign aimed at containing the spread of the disease, but so far has not been able to nab it at its source.
In Canada, about 40 trappers, more accustomed to trapping foxes and mink in order to sell their pelts, were asked by Quebec authorities to get involved in the hunt for raccoons and polecats.
When a raccoon is diagnosed with rabies, authorities euthanize all the trapped animals in a radius of five kilometers (3.1 miles), and vaccinate others in a radius of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
Every vaccinated animal is tagged with a sequence number unique and its exact location and entered into a special database.
Guerin said that this was a public health operation and if these measures were not taken, the situation would get out of control for years.
An epidemic of rabies detected in the province of Ontario in 1999 took seven years to bring under control.
US authorities will drop from in mid-August some 1,4 millions odorous biscuits containing vaccine against rabies in New York state and Pennsylvania. More than 400,000 doses will be reserved for Canada.
Did you catch the flaw? Of course, even asking that might be too much of a hint.
Please report if you have read it--even if you don't think you have the answer--then when we have enough responses I'll tell what's wrong.
FRELIGHSBURG, Canada (AFP) - Dozens of trappers have left their more lucrative prey of foxes and mink to catch raccoons along the US Canadian border that have caused an outbreak of rabies in eastern Canada.
"Good morning my little smart aleck! How are you today, my little smart aleck?," muttered Raynbald Ferland to a trembling raccoon that was lured inside a trap by odorous sardine and marshmallow bait.
After rabies first struck in May 2006, Quebec authorities launched a huge campaign on the borders with the US states of Vermont and New York to stem the outbreak of the viral disease that is fatal to humans if left untreated.
The raccoon-stopping effort got a bigger boost still after Vermont announced it had detected 50 cases of rabies in the first few months of 2007.
Since the start of the summer, the French-speaking Canadian province has picked up around 40 rabid raccoons and 3,000 of the furry, striped mammals have been euthanized as a precautionary measure.
The raccoon is a leading transmitter of rabies since it lives close to human habitats often feeding on garbage in the city and on crops in the countryside. The cat-size mammal with striped tail and black, mask-like markings over its eyes also comes into contact with domestic animals, who can unwittingly become a dangerous vehicle for the spread of the disease to humans.
Rabies kills some 50,000 people each year around the world. In Canada, the last death from rabies occurred in 2000.
"Our goal is to truly eradicate this outbreak of rabies in Quebec," said Daniel Guerin, who coordinates the vast "Operation Raccoon" from his headquarters in Frelighsburg, a peaceful village on Quebec's border with Vermont.
"There were no rabid raccoons in Quebec before, but there were in Vermont. I guess an educated explanation is that it moved from Vermont to Quebec," said Martin Lowny, New York Wildlife service state director for the US Department of Agriculture.
In addition to Vermont, several US states, including Ohio and New York, have reported cases of raccoon rabies.
The United States has launched a campaign aimed at containing the spread of the disease, but so far has not been able to nab it at its source.
In Canada, about 40 trappers, more accustomed to trapping foxes and mink in order to sell their pelts, were asked by Quebec authorities to get involved in the hunt for raccoons and polecats.
When a raccoon is diagnosed with rabies, authorities euthanize all the trapped animals in a radius of five kilometers (3.1 miles), and vaccinate others in a radius of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
Every vaccinated animal is tagged with a sequence number unique and its exact location and entered into a special database.
Guerin said that this was a public health operation and if these measures were not taken, the situation would get out of control for years.
An epidemic of rabies detected in the province of Ontario in 1999 took seven years to bring under control.
US authorities will drop from in mid-August some 1,4 millions odorous biscuits containing vaccine against rabies in New York state and Pennsylvania. More than 400,000 doses will be reserved for Canada.
Did you catch the flaw? Of course, even asking that might be too much of a hint.
Please report if you have read it--even if you don't think you have the answer--then when we have enough responses I'll tell what's wrong.