Infant attacked and injured by a raccoon in his home
A raccoon looks down from a tree.
Photo courtesy Idaho Fish and Game
An infant at home in Cassia County was injured in a reported raccoon attack on Dec. 23, according to Idaho Fish and Game.
Cassia County Sheriff's officers and IDFG responded and determined the infant was in an infant carrier while the mother was settling in after returning home. She heard a loud noise in the home and ran to the infant’s location. The mother found a raccoon attacking her infant. She was able to grab the animal to stop the attack, a press release said.
It is unknown how the raccoon gained access to the home.
The infant was taken by the parents to Cassia Regional Hospital in Burley for treatment of undisclosed injuries and then transferred to a hospital in Salt Lake City.
The father of the infant and a sheriff’s deputy returned to the home, found the raccoon still in the home and killed it.
No other raccoons were found in the home.
"Fish and Game is confident that the raccoon killed by the infants’ father was the one involved in the attack," the release said.
Fish and Game took possession of the raccoon carcass and coordinated with staff from South Central Public Health District to get the raccoon tested for rabies. Fish and Game staff transported the carcass to Boise for testing by the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories.
The rabies test was negative.
While raccoons are a common species across Idaho, reports of attacks on humans are extremely rare, the release said. And while raccoons have a reputation as a potential carrier of rabies, only one case of raccoon rabies has been documented in Idaho.
Raccoons are generally shy and will typically avoid humans, but they can become aggressive if 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. Raccoons can live in a variety of habitats, but an area with access to water and food will attract them.
Never purposefully feed a raccoon.
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. 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.