Ashford Mom Rescues Daughter From Raccoon
A mom rushed to her daughter’s aid when the 5-year-old was bitten by a raccoon outside their front door Friday morning, pulling the animal off her and hurling it into the front yard in an incident that was captured on a home security camera.
“It was very good parental instinct,” said Connecticut State Police Trooper Cassidy Nuccio, who responded to the 7:55 a.m. call for help.
The mother, Logan Kelsey MacNamara, took her daughter to the hospital to be checked for possible rabies exposure, Nuccio said.
The cuffs on the girl’s jeans helped protect her ankle, which was red, but wasn’t bleeding. MacNamara wasn’t injured.
The mom said in a Facebook message to CT Insider that her daughter is OK.
“It could have been so much worse!” she wrote.
The attack happened on Fitts Road as soon as the girl walked out the front door to head to the school bus stop, Nuccio said.
The video shows the raccoon clamped down on the girl’s left ankle. The animal wouldn’t release its grip, despite the girl’s piercing screams and efforts to shake it off by frantically kicking her leg.
MacNamara heard the commotion and came outside. She pulled the raccoon off her by grabbing it on the back of its neck with her right hand. At the same time, she held onto her clinging daughter, her left arm around the child’s midsection.
She finally got the girl back inside the house and tried to throw the raccoon — which also was screaming — but the animal appeared to have latched onto her shirt. She used both hands to grip the animal and, looking off-camera, the woman warned, “It’s a rabid raccoon, get in the house!” before throwing it into her front yard.
The raccoon scurried toward some bushes in front of the house and left off the property. Nuccio said she wasn’t able to find it when she arrived. The home is located on a heavily wooded street in the small town of less than 5,000 people in Windham County.
Nuccio had some advice for residents about raccoons: People should not leave garbage or food outside, which could attract wild animals, she said. And anyone who lives in the area should try to avoid raccoons in general, because it may be rabid.
“If you see one coming at you, give us a call,” she said.
Can raccoons be vaccinated against rabies?
An oral rabies vaccine for raccoons in a fish-flavored bait, called V-RG, has been tested in southern New Jersey and shown to be effective. This vaccine has recently been approved for general use by the United States Department of Agriculture and could be used by municipalities to reduce or control the spread of rabies in raccoon populations. However, state review and approval is needed to purchase this vaccine and its use would not replace traditional rabies control measures, such as domestic animal vaccination and animal control activities.
Raccoons can transfer rabies to people and pets from a bite. While rare, it can also occur if saliva from a rabid animal enters an open cut or mucous membrane (eyes, nose or mouth).
Stay away from raccoons and other wildlife. Also keep pets away from wildlife.
A racoon with rabies may:
Appear sick or injured
Act lethargic
Have difficutly standing or walking
Appear confused or disoriented
Behave aggressively
Act unusally friendly
If you are bitten by a raccoon or if saliva from a raccoon enters an open cut or mucous membrane (eyes, nose or mouth):
Wash the wound with lots of soap and water.
Seek immediate medical care from your doctor or go to an emergency room.
Call 311 as soon as possible to report the raccoon bite. The Health Department will determine if the raccoon should be tested for rabies.
If your dog or cat is bitten or gets in a fight with a raccoon, contact your veterinarian and check whether its rabies vaccinations are up to date. If they are not, your pet may need to be isolated in a veterinary hospital.
