Animal Shelter Statistics - 04-2008

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Animal Services Monthly Report April, 2008 7 public health authorities to ensure the health of all members of a household—human and pet alike. As can also be seen from the table on rabies exposures, Animal Control Officers investigated eight (8) cases in which there were possible rabies exposures. Usually, these are cases involving known or suspected contact between a domestic small animal such as a dog or a cat and a wild animal such as a raccoon, as well as whether there is indirect contact between a human and pet member of a household in these situations. But our Animal Control Officers are also responsible for bite reports involving dogs and cats (as well as other animals) and a human victim. In these cases, it is a legal requirement and public health precaution that a dog or cat biting a human being be contained and observed for a period of ten (10) days—thereby ensuring that the bite victim was not exposed to the rabies virus. Efforts to ensure current vaccination, for the welfare of pets and the people with whom they come into contact, are ongoing and activities in this area are captured by vaccination statistics compiled by our Animal Control Division. As is ordinarily the case, the majority of these vaccinations—983 out of a total of 1370 vaccinations—continue to be performed at veterinary establishments. In addition, another eighty (80) animals were vaccinated at our Animal Shelter prior to their adoption or recovery. Moreover, four low-cost rabies vaccination clinics were held in April and a total of 307 animals were vaccinated at these clinics. Seventeen total clinics were held during 2007— and 1,157 dogs and cats were vaccinated as a result. All of these activities—public education and outreach, investigations and enforcement, and providing low-cost vaccination clinics—are critical given that Orange County continues to be affected by the epidemic of “eastern raccoon rabies” that began in the latter half of the 1990s. Their essential nature is further underscored by the current view that we have been on the upside of a raccoon rabies cycle that may bring even higher numbers of confirmed rabies cases than we have seen in recent years. Special Monthly Notes There have been challenges and changes that have affected animal disposition numbers this month. The most notable was the continuation of a remediation project being conducted by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in preparation of their new “Carolina North” campus. The project site has taken up much of the Animal Shelter parking area and created a need for staff to find different avenues to keep the public informed and aware of the Shelter’s continuing operations. Parking for the shelter has been moved behind the shelter and a detour has been created in order to clearly direct visitors and staff to that designated area. The remediation project is scheduled to last until August of 2008.