Today is rabies awareness day!
Niagara has had 5 positive cases of rabies in 2016, all of them in raccoons.
Since March, four cases have been reported in West Lincoln and one in Grimsby.
Speaking in an online video Niagara's Director of Environmental Health Bjorn Christensen says you can protect yourself by being a responsible pet owner and have your animals vaccinated against the rabies virus.
He also advises the public to view wildlife from a distance and if you see a dead or sick animal to call the appropriate people to deal with it.