Two dead rabid raccoons found in Islip Town — the 38th and 39th cases in Suffolk, health officials say

Rabid raccoons have again been confirmed in Suffolk, this time in the Town of Islip, including one dead on a street in Bay Shore and another dead on a street in Islip, the Suffolk County Department of Health said in an alert issued on Thursday to warn residents.

The two cases are the 38th and 39th confirmed positive tests for terrestrial rabies since Feb. 7 last year, the health department said.

Health officials said the two dead raccoons were found earlier this month, but don't believe there had been any human exposure.

In a statement Thursday, the health department said the two dead raccoons had been retrieved by members of the Islip Animal Shelter and then turned over to health officials for testing. The department was notified Wednesday of the positive tests by the Wadsworth Center, the state laboratory in Albany.

Rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system and left untreated often results in death, health officials said. It is most often seen in wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes, though any mammal can become infected.

"Residents are reminded not to touch, or transport, wild animals," the health department statement said.

Officials are asking anyone who witnesses a raccoon — or, any other suspected mammal — acting "abnormally" to contact Suffolk police via their non-emergency number at 631-852-COPS or to contact the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at 631-444-0250.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.