A 4 year old Alabama girl was attacked by a rabid raccoon. We see lots of coons, possums, and beaver around the farm. Another good reason to keep a firearm handy out working in the yard and in the fields.
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Rabid raccoon attacks Pike Road child By Allen Henry
PIKE ROAD, AL (WSFA) -
A 4-year-old in Pike Road is recovering after being attacked by a rabies-infected raccoon.
Now, the girl's father and the health department are warning the public about the dangers of wild animals.
Nicholas Hughes says instinct kicked in when he heard his daughter Harper scream in their backyard and found a rabid raccoon gnawing on her leg.
"The only thing I could think of when I got back here and saw what was happening was making sure the animal was dead," Hughes said. "I ran back here, and I kicked it with my right foot. And it bit through my shoe and into my foot. I had to use my left foot to try and break its neck because it wasn't letting go of either me or her."
State Public Health Veterinarian Dee Jones says rabid animals are typically more aggressive.
"That aggressive behavior is actually the way the virus is propagated from one animal to the next through the salivary glands," Jones said.
The night of the attack, one of Hughes' neighbors sent him a picture of the raccoon limping. It was taken hours before the attack occurred.
Jones says that should have been a red flag.
"Raccoons that are out during the day, typically a nocturnal animal, an animal that feeds at night, is out during the day usually because he's infected with the rabies virus," Jones said.
Both Hughes and his daughter are going through the rabies treatment process.
But he also knows things could have been much worse.
"She was kind of laid back, and it would have just taken a few seconds for it to make it up to her neck or face and at that point it would have probably been too late," Hughes said.
The Alabama Department of Public Health says raccoons make up at least 50 percent of all rabies cases every year, but cases like this are extremely rare.
They only have two or three humans exposed to rabies from a wild animal annually, but they say it's important to know what to do if it happens to you.
I've gotta get the pressure washer out and wash off the wall of the walkout basement. I shot a coon on our deck and it bled out all over. I shoot coons and possums all the time. I'll let a possum go unless he shows fight. Coons don't get a pass.
Had 2 raccoons (and a fox, later) in the back yard last night, and we have a very high incidence of rabies in WNY. I was attacked by a rabid skunk right across the road from our house about 25 years ago. Scared the living hell out of me. I shot it about 4' away. It was snarling, and foaming at the mouth, while running right at me, teeth showing.
I feel sorry for that kid, he'll never forget that attack.....
Old Fishermen never die, we just get reel tired.
May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung. May you stay......Forever young
I've lived in a place (West Africa) where rabies was common (dogs mostly), never seen anyone die from it but I've known people who have seen that.
Here we just sedate the person into a coma once the symptoms appear until they die, if ya don't got the drugs to do that rabies is a HORRIFIC way to go.
Birdwatcher
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
I listened to my Grandma from east Texas tell about folks getting it in olden times. She told about them chaining one little boy up with him snarling at people and trying to bite them.
been lot's of rabies for years around Hall county, ne georgia...foxes, raccoons, cats, dogs, etc.
I've always heard that if a raccoon or skunk (I've never seen a possum in my area) is out and about during daylight hours, it's most likely rabid. So I shoot everyone I see, if I have the opportunity. Better safe, than sorry.....
I was surprised to learn that there are survivors of full blown rabies. The first survivor using the "Milwaukee Protocol" is Jeanna Giese. Giese was 15 years old when she contracted rabies. They put her in an induced coma and gave her a cocktail of antiviral drugs. There has been a total of 5 survivors out of 36 victims who have been treated under the protocol.
Somewnere I ran across some nasty stuff from their droppings, something that can't be cured. You could get if from just going out barefoot and stepping in it. That pressure washer, and bleach???? seem like a good idea. Will try to look up whatever it is.
My 2 RUssell Terriers got a hold of a big Racoon a few years ago in the backyard. It was quite the Rodeo, The coon lost. We thought it might have been rabid and Animal Control had it tested, it came back negative.
I shoot them and many others when given the opportunity , with basically no trapping going on there are far too many nest predators and fawn eaters walking around.
I bet the medical bills from rabies would be a considerable amount of money too . ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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One day, a customer came into our office and said there was a fox wondering around in the stone yard and didn't look good. It was in the middle of the day. He thought I might want to go out and corner him and call Animal Control. I immediately went out there, but couldn't find him. There's lots of pallets and places for him to be out of sight. I informed all of the yard guys to keep an eye out for it.
The next morning, it was right out in the open curled up laying down right out in the open, foaming at the mouth, but delirious. Called animal control and the dude put a noose on it and put it in a box. It didn't really move much, just kind of growled and gurgled. It was pretty nasty looking.
"Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
I shoot them and many others when given the opportunity , ..........
Me too .... time was I would hit them with a 22MAG but now I mostly use a shotgun
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much" Teddy Roosevelt
Many years ago we had a racoon treed in our yard by the neighbors dog. Called animal control, thought it was rabies, they said distemper because of the foaming at the mouth and diareaha, told us to bring the dogs in------when we did that the coon left, but there was a pile of slime out there. Used the bleach, wished for a flame thrower.
We were told that a possum can't get rabies unless it is basically sick and running a fever. Something about its overall body temperature is too low to support the rabies virus.
Many years ago we had a racoon treed in our yard by the neighbors dog. Called animal control, thought it was rabies, they said distemper because of the foaming at the mouth and diareaha, told us to bring the dogs in------when we did that the coon left, but there was a pile of slime out there. Used the bleach, wished for a flame thrower.
Bleach, fire, more bleach,....you cannot kill that chit dead enough.
...be REALLY careful about hydrating dried blood or chit and aerosollising it with a pressure washer ! ....Clorox first.
GTC
Member, Clan of the Border Rats -- “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”- Mark Twain
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