The USDA will be dropping hundreds of thousands of oral rabies vaccine baits across East Tennessee and North Georgia for the next couple of weeks. These are intended to slow the spread of rabies amongst wildlife, such as raccoons, coyotes, skunks, foxes, etc and are safe to be consumed by wildlife animals.

Approximately 1.7 million baits are being distributed via aircraft and ground teams from April 8th-19th, 2026 across East Tennessee and North Georgia. The work should be completed by late April, depending on weather.

If you spot any of the bait, please do NOT eat or touch them. Even though the baits are not harmful to your pets, the ingestion of a large number of baits may cause a temporary upset stomach. Leave the bait alone for the wildlife. If a bait is in an unsafe area, wear gloves or use a bag/towel to toss it into a wooded area. Wash your hands if you come into contact with the liquid vaccine that is inside one of the baits.

The second image below is an example of what the baits may look like if you spot them.

In East Tennessee, the bait will be dropped in the following counties: Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, and Sequatchie counties, plus surrounding counties to the north, south, and east.

In North Georgia, the bait will be dropped in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Walker, and Whitfield counties, plus surrounding counties to the south, north and east.