ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A St. Augustine woman was hospitalized overnight after a 30-pound raccoon chased her and her dog into her house, the woman’s neighbor told News4JAX.
The 75-year-old woman and the dog were trapped for an hour and a half and were bitten several times, according to John Ness, the woman’s friend, who told News4JAX he helped fight off the raccoon.
“He was big and very powerful, and it was definitely something that I’ve never seen before,” the neighbor and friend said.
Ness said he is OK but a little shaken up. He spent the entire early morning at the hospital checking on his friend.
Ness said the whole thing started around 8 p.m. Monday.
He said his neighbor spotted the raccoon on her porch, and then it got inside and went after her and her dog. He heard screams from inside the woman’s home and came to help.
Ness said he was in the kitchen and tried to fight off the raccoon. He managed to snap a photo of the animal in the house.
“Once he was inside the house that’s when all the real problems started because we couldn’t get him out and he was on top of me,” Ness said. “I actually had a butcher knife that was this big, and I used it. It’s something right out of a horror movie. I actually used the knife when he was on me to stab it continuously until he finally got off me.”
Ness eventually called 911 for help and Florida Fish and Wildlife officers were able to evict the raccoon by looping it on a long pole to keep its teeth a safe distance away.
The wildlife officers shot the raccoon once they got it outside.
The woman, who was bitten on the foot and was bleeding profusely, was being screened for rabies at the hospital.
The dog has its rabies vaccine and didn’t need medical attention, despite also being bitten. Ness said he’ll be taking the dog to the vet, just in case.
It hasn’t been confirmed that the raccoon was rabid, but a veterinarian told News4JAX that there are two forms of rabies called dumb and furious.
Furious rabies can cause animals to get agitated and very dangerous and dumb rabies causes them to not act ferocious.
Ryan Boyd, a professional trapper with Quick Catch, said to call a trapper instead of the police, who may not have the proper training to deal with a wild animal.
“We’re not going to go in there and just grab the animal. That’s how you get bit,” Boyd said.
He said wild animal cases are the most difficult to deal with because they can be found in places you never expect.
“Every animal is different and every scenario is different because there’s always different structures. One might be in a closet. One might be in a super tight attic where I can’t defend myself, so that’s why I’m relying on equipment. How can I get out if I need to?” Boyd said.