CONSUMPTION BY WILD BOARS OF RABIES VACCI NE BAITS DISTRIBUTED FOR FOXES - TRIALS ON A WILD POPULATION RESTRICTED IN A HUNTING PARK

Four campaigns of oral vaccination of foxes was carried out in an encl osed area of 600 ha where a population of wild boars was kept and foll owed. Two antirabies vaccines were used: VRG (Vaccinia rabies recombin ant-Rhone Merieux) and SAG(1) (escaped mutant of the SAD rabies strain -Virbac). Out of the 107 wild boars that were sampled, 11 (10%) were m arked with tetracyclin and 43 (40%) developed specific rabies antibodi es. This trial demonstrates that wild boars may significantly compete with the foxes for the consumption of antirabies vaccine baits and tha t they produce a specific immunity against rabies.