{"id":332614,"date":"2026-08-29T12:48:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T12:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332614\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T12:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T12:48:13","slug":"raccoon-terror-cute-critter-family-in-central-park-may-be-rabid-killers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332614\/","title":{"rendered":"Raccoon terror \u2014 cute critter family in Central Park may be rabid killers"},"content":{"rendered":"

A terrifying posse of rabid raccoons is invading the outer boroughs of New York City at a breakneck pace, with 20 total cases already logged across Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island \u2014 a pace 57% faster than last year, troubling city data show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By Aug. 20, the Big Apple recorded<\/a> five cases in Brooklyn, six in Queens and a whopping nine in Staten Island \u2014 matching the total for all of 2025, the data show.<\/p>\n

A map from the NYC Health Department shows the locations of animals with rabies in New York City. NYC Health<\/p>\n

Since 2022, Staten Island has recorded 26 confirmed rabies cases \u2014 the second-highest total in the city behind Queens, which has reported 39, according to\u00a0data from the NYC Health Department.<\/a>\u00a0In the last five years, Bronx has documented 17 cases, while Brooklyn has reported seven.<\/p>\n

Despite Staten Island\u2019s steady caseload,\u00a0the borough was excluded from a recent city-led oral rabies vaccination effort<\/a>\u00a0targeting wildlife, distributing fish-scented bait packets containing rabies vaccine<\/a> in select parks and green spaces across Brooklyn and Queens.<\/p>\n

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella <\/a>said his borough\u2019s exclusion is \u201cplaying with people\u2019s well being,\u201d reported SIlive.com<\/a>. The Post has reached out to Fossella for comment. <\/p>\n

Other residents commented that the critters are \u201cconstantly in my yard,\u201d and \u201cthere are so many houses going up, they have nowhere to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Manhattan \u2014 which has no reported cases of rabies in 2026 and one case from a bat in 2025 \u2014 a family of raccoons living in Central Park has become an unlikely tourist attraction<\/a>, drawing crowds who film<\/a>, feed and even try to touch the furry creatures. <\/a><\/p>\n

Raccoons are spotted near park benches close to Central Park West and the reservoir pump house in Central Park on the West Side near 81st and 86th streets. Gary Buiso\/ New York Post<\/p>\n

\u201cHow cute!\u201d oozes a comment on one such video, while another says, \u201cThat tree apartment is probably costing them $5,000 a month considering the location.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bronx retiree Israel Ortiz, 83, has been feeding raccoons<\/a> from the same bench near the American Museum of Natural History for nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n

Israel Ortiz feeds the squirrels, pigeons and raccoons from his usual Central Park spot where he sits on a bench near the Museum of Natural History. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

Many raccoons have been spotted in Central Park on the West Side between 81st and 86th Street. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to take care of them,\u201d Ortiz, who brings treats they take from his outstretched hand, told The Post. \u201cIf they had rabies, the Park Conservancy would take care of it. They don\u2019t have rabies<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel Ortiz feeds the squirrels, pigeons and raccoons in The Ramble section of Central Park in New York on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

NYC Parks specifically warns New Yorkers not to feed raccoons<\/a> and to keep their distance<\/a> because the animals can carry diseases transmissible to people and pets, including rabies, distemper, bacterial infections, raccoon roundworm and parasites.<\/p>\n

A raccoon takes an after lunch snooze in a tree. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

If a raccoon approaches, officials recommend \u201chazing\u201d it by making loud noises, holding your arms high and stomping your feet. Animals that appear dizzy or stumbling should be reported to 911. <\/p>\n

Anyone bitten or scratched should wash the wound and seek medical attention immediately. According to the World Health Organization<\/a>, rabies is 100% fatal without treatment. <\/p>\n

It begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by rapid neurological decline that include hallucinations, thrashing, paralysis and foaming at the mouth.<\/p>\n

Signs in Central Park show the animals that can be found there and warn against getting too close. J.C. Rice for NY Post<\/p>\n

Westchester County resident Frank Maida, 81, knows firsthand<\/a> what can happen when an encounter goes wrong. In 2019, Maida was bitten while gardening, and ended up receiving a series of painful shots after the animal was found to be rabid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI turned around, and it was this raccoon,\u201d he told ABC 7<\/a>. \u201cHe started going for me. I kept kicking him and he wouldn\u2019t leave me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

They may look adorable and cuddly, but one bite and a person could be in big trouble. Gary Buiso\/ New York Post<\/p>\n

The raccoon, who had already bitten a neighborhood woman, then bit a man fixing his car in his driveway before being killed with a shovel. <\/p>\n

Six years later, seeing people cozying up to Central Park raccoons leaves Maida stunned and appalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who gets near that family of raccoons in Central Park is downright crazy,\u201d Maida told The Post. \u201cThey\u2019re not cute pets. They\u2019re wild animals and they could kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city Health Department told The Post: \u201cThe NYC Health Department does not advise New Yorkers to approach raccoons or any wild animal. Every year, New York City sees a small number of raccoons test positive for rabies \u2026 Feeding raccoons can teach them to rely on and expect food from humans\u201d and this feeding can make them \u201caggressive and sometimes dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObserve and enjoy raccoons from a distance,\u201d said Gregg McQueen of the city\u2019s Dept. of Parks & Recreation. \u201cDo not approach raccoons or any wild animal, pet them or allow children to approach them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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