While Chipmunks are common in the surrounding areas, I had never seen one in Central Park until today.  I had heard they had returned a few years ago, but never ran across one until today.  It was on the eastern slope of the Great Hill.

The condition of the park was mixed after the very early snow storm.  The trees still had leaves and the snow was very wet.  While some trees had fallen over, most of the damage seemed to be limited to broken branches.  The greatest damage was in the southern section of the park.

Update: 10/31/11 – I’ve received word that the damage is worse than I estimated from my walk in the north.

The park staff is going to be working very hard to clean up the damage and get ready for the New York City Marathon which is next Sunday. 

I’m starting to see my first set of ear tagged raccoons.  This means the rabies vaccination program is underway.  I’m still seeing a number of untagged raccoons, but it’s a great start.

Beyond the vaccination program, I would like to see the Parks Department do two things to manage the raccoon population in the park:

1. Ban all feeding of wildlife, except in controlled situations like the Evodia Field bird feeders.  Loose bird seed attracts rats, bread habituates ducks and limits their natural migration, and feeding raccoons creates over population where disease spreads quickly.
2. Purchase animal proof trash cans.  Almost every trash can in the park becomes a meal for a raccoon after dusk.

Rabies continues to spread among the Central Park Raccoon population.  52 raccoons tested positive for rabies city wide in the last two months, with most being in the park.  Please use common sense with these raccoons.  On Saturday, I had to stop a father from letting his son feed a raccoon and had to warn a photographer to keep his distance from a raccoon out in the daylight.

The Parks Department staff put up warning signs in the Ramble and the North Woods in English at the start of the epidemic.  Looking at the distribution map of the last few months, maybe they should consider putting up multilingual warning signs at every park entrance.

The Health Department reminds us that the last New York City rabies case in a human was in the 40s, so there is no need to panic.  Both the Bronx and Staten Island have had rabies outbreaks in raccoons in recent years without humans getting infected.  That said, the Health Department still recommends taking basic precautions against getting our pets or ourselves infected.

Three rabid raccoons have been found in Central Park this year, two in the last two weeks. The NYC Health Department’s latest press release warns Central Park visitors to stay away from raccoons and other animals that might carry rabies. Dogs should also be kept on leash in the park and be properly vaccinated.

The full press release is on the NYC.gov website. 

The Health Department reminds us that the last New York City rabies case in a human was in the 40s, so there is no need to panic.  Both the Bronx and Staten Island have had rabies outbreaks in raccoons in recent years without humans getting infected.  That said, the Health Department still recommends taking basic precautions against getting our pets or ourselves infected.

Update 2-27-10: Since this was posted, rabies has spread exponentially throughout the park.  This latest press release from the Health Department shows 39 positive animal cases in 2010 in Manhattan.