A confused mother happened upon her infant son being attacked by a raccoon that had sneaked inside their Idaho home and successfully avoided the unlikely holiday visitor.
The mother called the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) and the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 23 after hearing “a loud commotion in the house” and discovered the raccoon was attacking her young son, Idaho Fish and Game released in a notification. .
Authorities said the mother managed to grab the furry intruder to save her son.
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Idaho Fish and Game said a wild raccoon entered a home and attacked a baby. (Idaho Fish and Game)
The baby was taken to Cassia Regional Hospital in Burley for undisclosed injuries before being transferred to a hospital in Salt Lake City.
According to officials, a sheriff’s deputy returned to the home with the baby’s father, found the animal and killed it.
IDFG noted that it was unclear how the raccoon got inside the home and that there were no other raccoons inside.
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The animal’s carcass has since been tested for rabies by the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories and the tests came back negative, the release said.
“After being notified of the incident, staff from the Magic Valley Region activated their Human Wildlife Attack Response Team,” the IDFG wrote. “This specially trained team of department staff has the responsibility to act to protect the safety of the public and incident responders; to attempt to identify, locate, and control the animal(s) involved in a human-wildlife incident; and to make, document and report the findings of the investigation”.
Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals that is most commonly transmitted to humans through the bite of a rabid animal. (iStock)
The agency noted that raccoon attacks on humans in the state are “extremely rare” and that there has only been one documented case of raccoon rabies in Idaho.
The IDFG instructed Idahoans to “never intentionally feed a raccoon,” saying they generally avoid humans unless they feel “threatened.”
“As with all wildlife that can be found around homes in Idaho, the best course of action to avoid encounters with raccoons is to take preventative action before a problem starts,” the department wrote. “Raccoons can live in a variety of habitats, but an area with access to water and food will attract them.
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“A homeowner can limit food sources by securing residential waste, removing any fallen fruit or rotting produce from your yard or garden, feeding pets indoors, keeping pet food stored in safely and by removing or providing bird feeders,” IDFG added. “Blocking raccoon access to hiding places in sheds and buildings and sealing off potential entrances and exits in and around a home will also discourage raccoon use.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to IDFG for comment.
