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Some east Flagstaff, Mount Elden and Cheshire-area cats will be under lockdown from mid-June through Sept. 10 as area skunks and foxes are again vaccinated against rabies.

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Overall, there will be rabies vaccinations of local wildlife again this year from Williams to Winona to Mountainaire that calls for at least a 12-day lockup of area pets, with those rules extended in some areas.

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Dogs are already prohibited by law from roaming at large, but cats don\'t normally fall under the county leash law.

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The quarantine, which was approved Tuesday by a 4-0 vote of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, is designed to prevent wandering pets from eating vaccine packets and getting caught in traps.

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This is the Coconino County Health Department\'s fifth such anti-rabies effort in a decade. Last year, 35 wild animals tested positive for rabies and one man was attacked by a rabid animal in his driveway.

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No rabies cases have been confirmed in Coconino County this year, nor have there been any rabid wildlife attacks on residents.

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EDIBLE VACCINES DISTRIBUTED

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About 129,600 edible rabies vaccines aimed at local wildlife, including gray foxes, will again be dropped by plane June 16 in a 1,433-square mile area from east Williams to north of the San Francisco Peaks and Timberline, to east of Winona and south of Mountainaire, avoiding wilderness areas.

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Populated areas will be targeted for hand distribution by U.S. Department of Agriculture and county employees and volunteers rather than by plane.

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Th first county aerial drop was last July, and it was funded by the federal government.

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The cost of this year\'s effort is unknown.

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All area cats and dogs will be ordered confined from June 14 to June 25 so that local foxes and other wildlife can have the first chance to eat the rabies vaccines.

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The packets are about half the size of a condiment package found at a fast-food restaurant, and covered in a brown, fishy-smelling substance that makes them appealing to some wildlife.

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They are not effective for vaccinating skunks, the Coconino County Health Department learned after a previous attempt.

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QUARANTINE SHRINKS AFTER JUNE 25

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After June 25, the pet quarantine areas are then reduced to the base of Mount Elden, Cheshire and much of east Flagstaff through Sept. 10.

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In these areas, traps will be set for skunks, and these skunks will be vaccinated one at a time, by injection.

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\\"Later in the season we\'ll be taking blood samples from foxes and skunks that we trap, and we\'ll be looking for their immunity level,\\" said Health Department Director Barbara Worgess.

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Last year, 60 percent of the fox population that was tested following the vaccine program had immunity to rabies, she said.

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One unknown is how long the vaccines remain effective for those animals that consume the bait, she said.

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Notices about the quarantine are going up at area trailheads, Worgess said.

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She had once hoped to mostly eradicate rabies here with periodic immunizations to protect family pets (which die if infected) and their owners (who need quick medical treatment).

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This year, she said the contagious and deadly disease is likely here to stay.

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\\"We\'ve given up on the idea that we can get rid of it here. It seems pretty well entrenched,\\" she said.

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NEVER A HUMAN CASE

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In her reasoning for vaccinating again this year, she reiterated that the disease is deadly to humans and pets.

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Quarantines are approved by the Coconino County Board of Supervisors.

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This one was approved 4-0 (Liz Archuleta was absent) after some discussion, said Supervisor Mandy Metzger.

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\\"They thought -- the health experts in this field -- that this would further last year\'s success,\\" Metzger said.

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There has never been a case of a person in Coconino County contracting rabies, but some have been treated as a precaution after exposure or bites from animals believed to be rabid.

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No local animal has been impounded in past years for violating the quarantine, though some area cats have been trapped in enclosures meant to catch skunks.

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For more information, see www.coconino.az.gov/health or call 679-7350.

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Cyndy Cole can be reached at ccole@azdailysun.com or 913-8607.

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Rules of the quarantine

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-- All cats and dogs must be confined within an enclosure or secured on the owner\'s property.

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-- When not on the owner\'s property, pets must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.

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-- Cats or dogs found at-large in the area will be impounded. This requirement willincrease the likelihood that the baits are ingested by the intended wildlife and that pets are not unintentionally trapped.

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-- All persons within the quarantine area who own or control domesticated dogs and cats must make sure that their pets are vaccinated and that vaccinations are current.

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-- People are prohibited from interfering with bait packets.

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-- Pet owners must not leave pet food outside after sundown, and compost bins and piles must be completely enclosed.

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-- Source: Coconino County Health Department

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