GA Man Attacked By Rabid Raccoon He Tried To Save

ROSWELL, GA — A Cherokee County man was recently bitten by an injured rabid raccoon he tried to save by wrapping it in a blanket with duct tape and driving it over an hour to a Roswell center that is not licensed to treat raccoons.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center on Saturday said the incident happened earlier last week. The man found the raccoon injured and vocalizing in the road in Cherokee.

He then put his coat around it and held the animal against his chest for at least hour as he headed to the center, despite the business only being licensed to accept raptors, reptiles and amphibians.

Officials said while the man was en route, the raccoon was able to free its head and bit the man on his face and hands. He then drove home and wrapped the raccoon in a blanket with duct tape before resuming his journey toward the center.

He arrived at the same time as children who were attending the center's Thanksgiving break camp, an hour before the center's Wildlife Clinic opened.

A camp director alerted wildlife officials, who then met with the man in the parking lot with a kennel. Officials said "after much forceful insistence on our part," the man ultimately agreed to seek treatment at a hospital.

The center took the raccoon and made an emergency call to the Bells Ferry Veterinary Hospital in Acworth, which agreed to obtain the raccoon for euthanasia and submission to the Cherokee County Health Department.

The Georgia Wildlife Network performed an emergency transport from the center to Bells Ferry, officials said.

Less than two days later, officials said they were notified that the raccoon tested positive for rabies.

The man did not provide his full name to hospital or wildlife staff and gave a fake phone number to the hospital treating him, officials said.

They added they were able to retrieve accurate contact information from a family member who called the center the next day.

"While the finder's heart was in the right place, he put himself, his family, CNC's staff, volunteers, and visitors, the GWN transporter and the staff of Bells Ferry all at risk," center officials said in a news release.

They noted that lone wild animals in pain or distress do not vocalize in an effort to not draw predators. They asked that before anyone seeks to capture wildlife, they first assess the situation.

"It is imperative to ensure a rehabilitator is licensed for the type of animal you have. Rehabbers cannot legally accept animals for treatment not covered by their state and federal licensing, but we will always try and point you in the right direction," officials said.

Humans who contract rabies have a greater than 99 percent chance of dying without treatment, officials said. Vaccinations may be administered within 48-72 hours of exposure.

In the last five decades, there have been less than 35 people who have survived rabies once symptoms appeared.

"These individuals were treated with a variety of highly experimental protocols, and there is not yet a validated, accepted treatment," officials said.

Licensed rehabilitators can be found through Animal Help Now, and guidance is available via the Georgia Wildlife Network and Wildlife Resources Division - Georgia DNR.