A security-camera clip shared online captured a nightmare scenario for any parent: a raccoon charging toward and attacking a small child.
Thankfully, the video also showed the heroic actions and quick thinking of the child's mother, who jumped in and fought off the raccoon.
(If the embedded video does not appear, click here.)
Posted to Reddit, the dramatic footage may play like internet shock content, but it also points to a more serious reality involving urban wildlife. When animals that have adapted to living near people get too close, encounters can turn dangerous in an instant.
Here's what to know
The raccoon grasped onto the girl's pant leg and wouldn't let go, even while the girl tried to kick the animal off.
The mother then opened the home's front door and rushed to the girl's rescue, pulling her daughter into the house while holding onto the scruff of the animal's neck.
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With her daughter safely inside, the mother then threw the raccoon several yards away onto the front lawn, giving her time to retreat into the house.
The raccoon appeared stunned for a few moments before scampering off, apparently unharmed.
As one might expect, many commenters came with jokes.
"That raccoon is now regretting his life's decisions," said one.
However, other commenters focused on a more serious concern.
"Well that's rabies shots for everyone," shared one Redditor.
"I just got a rabies shot after watching this video to be safe," added another.
More background
Even in neighborhoods where raccoons are a familiar sight, they do not typically confront people this way.
Raccoons are among the animals that have adapted especially well to human environments. Garbage cans, outdoor pet food, sheds, crawl spaces, and dense suburban neighborhoods can all offer food and shelter.
Seeing raccoons often in human environments can make them seem familiar, or even amusing, but that familiarity can be misleading. A backyard or driveway encounter can become a health and safety issue within seconds, especially when children or pets are nearby.
There can also be consequences for the animal. Once wildlife becomes aggressive around people — or is perceived to be — it may be trapped, removed, or killed. In that sense, human-created attractants do not just put families at risk; they can also place adaptable animals, such as raccoons, in dangerous situations.
What can be done?
Securing trash cans, bringing pet food indoors, sealing off possible denning spots, and avoiding any attempt to feed wildlife can all reduce the chances of close contact.
Households with children and pets may want to be especially careful. Teaching kids not to approach wildlife — even animals that look small or harmless — can make a meaningful difference in neighborhoods where raccoons and other wild animals are common.
If contact does occur, commenters in the thread urged not to take such incidents lightly.
"Yea this should be emphasized as a serious matter," wrote one. "If anyone finds themselves in similar situations, rabies shots."
"No one has survived rabies once symptoms have set in," they continued. "Don't insist it didn't break the skin. There's a risk even if you don't notice bleeding anywhere. Get the rabies shots."
According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the survival rate for rabies is less than 1% after people become symptomatic.
Where can I learn more?
This isn't the only incident of a raccoon acting aggressively.
• In Ridgewood, New Jersey, two daylight raccoon attacks pushed officials to consider rabies pellets.
• In Quebec, cute little raccoons now carry a fast-spreading rabies risk into urban neighborhoods.
• After a homeowner fed wildlife, 100 raccoons surrounded her home and refused to leave.
• At one home, porch visitors tried to walk right inside.
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