A horrified mother found her young son under attack by a raccoon that had sneaked into their Idaho home and successfully repelled the unexpected holiday visitor.
The mother alerted the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) and the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office on December 23 after hearing “a loud noise in the home” and discovering the raccoon attacking her baby child, according to an Idaho Fish and Game release.
Authorities say the woman was able to catch the furry intruder and save her son.
The infant was taken to Cassia Regional Hospital in Burley with unidentified injuries before being moved to a hospital in Salt Lake City.
According to authorities, a sheriff’s officer returned to the house with the baby’s father, discovered the animal, and killed it.
IDFG stated that it was unknown how the raccoon entered the home and that there were no other raccoons inside.
The Idaho Bureau of Laboratories examined the animal’s carcass for rabies, which came back negative, according to the announcement.
“Once notified of the incident, staff from the Magic Valley Region activated their Wildlife Human 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; attempt to identify, locate, and control the animal(s) involved in a human-wildlife incident; and conduct, document and report investigative findings.”
The agency reported that there has only been one documented case of raccoon rabies and that raccoon attacks on humans are “extremely rare” in Idaho.
The IDFG advised Idahoans to “never purposely feed a raccoon” and to 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 raccoon encounters is to take preventative actions 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.
“A homeowner can limit food sources by securing residential garbage, removing any fallen fruit or rotten produce from your yard or garden, feeding pets indoors, keeping pet food securely stored, and removing or securing bird feeders,” IDFG added. “Blocking raccoon access to hiding places in sheds and outbuildings and sealing off potential entryways and exits in and around a home will also discourage raccoon use.”