Two More Rabid Raccoons Found Dead in Islip Town

Two raccoons discovered dead in the Town of Islip this month carried the rabies virus, Suffolk County health authorities confirmed Wednesday, bringing the county's cumulative total of confirmed terrestrial rabies cases to 39 since an outbreak began in February 2025.

One of the animals was found on a Bay Shore street; the other turned up on a street in Islip. Staff from the Islip Animal Shelter collected both carcasses and sent them for laboratory analysis. The Wadsworth Center at the New York State Department of Health informed the county Tuesday that both specimens had returned positive results.

Health officials said they do not believe any person was exposed to either raccoon.

The new cases come less than two weeks after county officials announced yet another positive case in Islip — also with no reported human or animal contact.

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. Raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks are the wild animals most commonly affected, though any mammal can carry the virus.

Residents are urged not to approach or handle wild animals. Anyone who spots a raccoon behaving strangely — moving in circles, staggering, or appearing disoriented — should call the Suffolk County Police Department's non-emergency line at 631-852-COPS or the state Department of Environmental Conservation at 631-444-0250. People who believe they may have been exposed to a rabid animal should contact their physician or the county health department immediately.

More information is available through the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.