Public health officials have started a major operation south of Montreal to prevent an epidemic of rabies among wild animals, like one that is sweeping the northeastern United States.

The first part of the operation, which started Sunday and continues through Tuesday, is an air drop of 120,000 vaccine-loaded baits over a 1,900-square-kilometre area from Highway 10 to the U.S. border. It's intended to immunize raccoons.

In the second stage, starting Aug. 27, live-capture cages will be used to trap thousands of raccoons and skunks, which will be vaccinated and released.

"These operations are designed to erect a barrier to prevent a raccoon rabies epidemic from spreading throughout Quebec, like the one currently taking place in the northeastern United States," said Dr. Jocelyne Sauvé, director of public health for the Montérégie region south of Montreal.

"Two cases of the same [rabies] strain were discovered in the Montérégie in June and July," Sauvé said.

"No case of rabies associated with this strain has been reported among humans in Quebec, and we are counting on the co-operation of the citizens in the Montérégie to report any animals they find dead or behaving abnormally."

Try to avoid touching vaccine 'cookies'

This is the second operation in the region to try and stop the spread of the disease. At the end of May, officials were forced to capture and either vaccinate or euthanize almost 2,600 animals after a rabid bat was found.

Health officials said the vaccine baits, which look like brownish green cookies, are not dangerous for animals or people, but people should avoid touching them.

In the live-capture operation, more than 2,500 live-capture cages will be installed in the area over a 15-day period. A team of 34 professional trappers will work with a team of veterinarians in an area around the municipality of Dunham where two infected raccoons were found earlier this summer.

"Cats captured accidentally will be vaccinated, identified with a non-toxic marker, and released," said Pierre Canac-Marquis, the operations co-ordinator for the Quebec ministry of Natural Resources.