A Tallahassee-area child was attacked by a rabid raccoon, described as “zombie-like,” before the family dog came to the rescue and scared it up a tree.
William Mercer told the Tallahassee Democrat that he was in his backyard Monday with his child and her friend when a raccoon appeared that was exhibiting rabid behavior, which was "definitely not the stereotypical foaming of the mouth." The animal was moving almost "like something out of a zombie movie," he added.
Mercer told the Tallahassee Democrat that the raccoon “turned aggressive” and charged to attack his daughter’s friend, who is autistic and initially did not understand the severity of the situation.
“I yelled at it real loud and ran at it,” Mercer said. “It got off the child, turned toward me and started growling at me. That’s when I thought ‘Man, I’m really in trouble here.’”
Help came in the form of the family’s 8-month-old bulldog, Magnolia, who “sprang into action” and began to bark and scare the raccoon up a tree. Animal control officials eventually arrived to retrieve and euthanize the raccoon with the child coming away with no bites or scratches.
Dr. Marjorie Kirsch, medical director with the Florida Department of Health, told the Tallahassee Democrat that Florida saw 83 animals last year that tested positive for rabies with 45 of them being raccoons. Her advice? Make sure your pets are vaccinated and be careful when interacting with wildlife.
Read more at the Tallahassee Democrat.
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