A modelling approach was used to increase understanding of the raccoon-rabies disease-host system. This was achieved through the development and application of the Ontario Rabies Model (ORM). The ORM is a spatially explicit individual-based model (IBM) that simulates raccoon demographics, rabies disease transmission and various rabies control strategies. ORM assessment and validation resulted in the creation of a Raccoon Ecology Database (REDB), development of a novel approach to density estimation from capture-mark-recapture data and the incorporation of information theoretic methods into model sensitivity analysis (SA). The ORM was then extended to simulate and track maternal and bi-parentally inherited neutral genetic markers. The revised model was used to quantify the effect of the Niagara River as a 50 % barrier on raccoon movement in the Niagara Region (43'N 79'W) to infer the effect of this landscape barrier on the spread of raccoon-rabies. Model development and application has increased understanding of the raccoon-rabies system and demonstrated the value of a modelling approach for ecological explorations.

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