LOWVILLE — Two town of Leyden teenagers are being treated after coming in contact with a rabid raccoon last week.

The incident was the second in June in which Lewis County residents were exposed to a rabid animal.

"My main driving message is don't bother wild animals. Ever," said Carol A. Paluck, supervising nurse at the Lewis County Public Health Agency.

The two teens tried to pull porcupine quills from the raccoon's snout Thursday, according to a release from Public Health. Although they put a blanket over the raccoon, it still was able to bite one of the youths through the blanket. The other youth is being treated because the drooling animal may have contaminated his face.

"Quills in a raccoon's snout virtually always mean a raccoon is rabid, because a healthy raccoon avoids porcupines," the release said.

The raccoon was captured and killed, and its body was taken by the Lewis County Sheriff's Department to the state Department of Health Rabies Laboratory in Albany. The animal tested positive for rabies.

Rabies treatments consist of one shot of immunoglobulin and a series of five vaccine shots.

"Now that school is out and the weather is warm, parents are cautioned to instruct their children to avoid wild animals," the Public Health release said. "If a wild animal approaches people, this is not normal, and children should be taught to report this to an adult. Raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats are the animals which are most frequently found to have rabies in New York state. People should avoid these animals."

Public health officials also warned that it is illegal for anyone but a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to harbor a raccoon or other wild animal that could transmit rabies and that pet dogs or cats are required to be vaccinated against rabies.

Three town of Croghan residents, two of them small children, also are receiving treatment after coming in contact with a rabid bat earlier this month. A pet cat that was exposed to the bat and wasn't up-to-date on its vaccinations was euthanized.

The number of animals testing positive for rabies in Lewis County has dwindled over the past few years, and it's too early to tell if the two recent incidents are isolated or signify a change in the trend, Mrs. Paluck said.

"I guess it just proves it's still out there," she said.

For more information on rabies, call Lewis County Public Health at 376-5453 or visit its Web site.