Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) Home Range and Oral Rabies Vaccine Bait Distribution in West Virginia, USA

Area of Science:

• Wildlife Ecology
• Disease Control
• Veterinary Public Health

Background:

• Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) has limited raccoon rabies virus variant (RRVV) spread in the US.
• RRVV elimination remains challenging in eastern US areas with striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) transmission.
• Striped skunks are a potential reservoir for RRVV spillover.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing striped skunk home range size and movement patterns.
• To compare the efficiency of different aerial ORV baiting strategies for skunks.
• To optimize ORV delivery for increased bait uptake and rabies antibody seroprevalence in skunks.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed rabies antibody seroprevalence data from two ORV baiting densities (75 and 300 baits/km2) in West Virginia.
• Estimated striped skunk home ranges using GPS collar data (2014-2015).
• Modeled hypothetical aerial ORV baiting scenarios varying in density, flight patterns, and spacing.

Main Results:

• Mean skunk core and overall home ranges were 0.135 km2 and 0.648 km2, respectively, with baits deployed in August.
• Skunks exhibited smaller home ranges in pastures and larger ranges in deciduous-mixed forests.
• Increased bait density was the most critical factor for enhancing predicted seroprevalence and bait uptake.

Conclusions:

• Bait density is the primary driver for effective ORV in striped skunks.
• Higher bait densities significantly increase the likelihood of successful oral rabies vaccination.
• Crisscross flight patterns offer no substantial benefit over parallel patterns for bait uptake efficiency.