Idaho Fish and Game reports that raccoon attacks on humans are rare. In this instance, the rabies test came back negative.
CASSIA COUNTY, Idaho — On Dec. 23, the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office called Idaho Fish and Game about a report of an infant who had been attacked by a raccoon in his parents’ home.
According to officials, it was determined that the infant was in his car seat carrier while his mom settled from returning home. The mother heard a loud noise in the home and ran to the infant to find a raccoon attacking him.
The infant was taken to the Cassia Regional Hospital in Burley and then transferred to a hospital in Salt Lake City. The infant is being treated for undisclosed injuries.
After the hospital drop-off, the father and a Cassia County Sheriff’s deputy returned to the house, finding the raccoon still inside. The father managed to kill the raccoon, Idaho Fish and Game reports.
It is unknown how the raccoon got inside the family’s home.
Idaho Fish and Game took the raccoon’s body and coordinated with the South Central Public Health District to get it tested for rabies. The carcass was later transported to Boise for testing by the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories, IDFG said.
The rabies test was negative, reports Fish and Game.
IDFG states that raccoon attacks on people are rare.
“While raccoons are a common species across Idaho, reports of attacks on humans are extremely rare. And while raccoons have a reputation as a potential carrier of rabies, only one case of raccoon rabies has been documented in Idaho,” said IDFG.
Idaho Fish and Game reminds people never to feed a raccoon. Secure food away, feed pets indoors, and remove garbage or bird feeders from raccoons’ reach.