ROSWELL, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A man was bitten in the face and hands by a raccoon he tried to save that later tested positive for rabies this weekend, according to the Chattahoochee Nature Center.
The man reportedly found an injured raccoon in Cherokee County and attempted to bring it to the nature center himself, they said on social media. He wrapped the raccoon in his coat and held it against his chest as he drove for over an hour, they claim.
During the drive, the raccoon bit the man, prompting him to go home to wrap the raccoon in a blanket with duct tape before continuing to the nature center, they said.
The man arrived an hour before the Wildlife Clinic opens, just when children were arriving for the Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) Camp Kingfisher’s Thanksgiving Break camp, according to the nature center.
CNC says the camp director radioed Wildlife to alert them, and when they got there, “Wildlife staff met the finder in the parking lot with a kennel” to put the raccoon in. The man then went to the hospital for treatment after being convinced by CNC staff to go.
The raccoon was then taken to the Bells Ferry Veterinary Hospital for euthanasia. Less than 48 hours later, CNC was told that the raccoon had tested positive for rabies.
Staff members said his actions endangered children, volunteers and others at the facility.
“While the finder’s heart was in the right place, he put himself, his family, CNC’s staff, volunteers and visitors… and the staff of Bells Ferry all at risk,” CNC said in a Facebook post.
Experts stress that people should always call licensed professionals for injured animals and never handle potentially rabid wildlife themselves.
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