To The Honorable Mayor Of NYC Michael R. Bloomberg:
Please sir consider the option of oral rabies vaccination as opposed to relocation or eradication. The raccoons of Central Park are "urbanized" raccoons as opposed to rural raccoons and therefore likely not equipped to survive relocation to a rural area. The two rabid raccoons recently found in Central park were dead. Dr. Sally Slavinski of the NYC Dept. of Health stated to the press that those dead rabid raccoons may have been "dropped off" which is what many suspect. Over the past several months, there have been many people who have stated that they are organizing and writing letters to have the raccoons eradicated so that they may walk their dogs unleashed without any worries about raccoon attacks. Raccoons do not attack dogs, they run up into trees when chased by dogs or humans. Dogs are vaccinated against rabies because that is the law in New York, so they cannot contract rabies from raccoons. Although many of us understand the convenience of the unleashed dog walking issue, we do not believe that this is worth removing or eradicating raccoons which are free rodent control and an important part of the ecosystem of the parks in NYC. In addition to the aforementioned, please sir also consider the fact that the raccoons are a huge tourist attraction. All of the tourists are well aware of the rabies issue so they keep their distance as there are many "Do Not Feed The Wild Animals" signs which are clearly visible throughout the park. Like us, the tourists are only interested in catching a glimpse of and sometimes photographing these shy, beautiful, intelligent and fascinating animals. Thank you sir for reading this letter and petition.
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