A raccoon roaming a Pocatello, Idaho cul-de-sac in daylight attacked an 86-year-old man who had gone outside to collect his mail, leaving him with bites and scratches.
Another resident who tried to help was scratched too, according to the Idaho State Journal.
Here's what to know
Testing at Southeastern Idaho Public Health's Pocatello office showed the raccoon was not rabid, though other lab work was not yet complete at press time.
Idaho Fish and Game officers killed the animal after responding to the south Pocatello home, and both injured people were treated.
Before the attack, people near Country Club Drive had seen the raccoon out during the day, where it appeared sluggish and did not react when residents tried to chase it off.
Fish and Game acknowledged that kind of daytime lethargy was not typical for raccoons.
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In June, Fish and Game took multiple reports about raccoons that seemed sick, injured, or unusually sluggish while lingering in the open during daylight hours.
One animal tested in June was negative for rabies but positive for canine distemper, which does not spread to humans but can infect dogs.
More background
After noticing neighbors gathered around the raccoon, the 86-year-old man told Fish and Game he assumed the animal was hurt.
However, it ran at him and bit and scratched his legs and forearm.
Because the animal had been moving through a neighborhood cul-de-sac, Fish and Game told residents to remove food sources and block access around decks, porches, and garages.
Incidents like the one in Pocatello are becoming far more common as average temperatures rise, cities sprawl, and habitat shrinks due to land development, the BBC explained.
A separate raccoon examined in June tested positive for canine distemper rather than rabies, and that disease can affect raccoons, skunks, and dogs.
What can be done?
Fish and Game advised anyone bitten or scratched by a raccoon to get medical treatment promptly and to notify both the agency and their local public health district.
When testing is required, the agency works with health districts to set it up, but officials said not every raccoon report results in the animal being collected and tested.
Fish and Game makes those decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Pet owners were also told to avoid raccoon carcasses. If one has to be thrown away, Fish and Game recommends wearing gloves and a mask, then placing both the carcass and the protective gear in a bag before disposal.
Fish and Game also urged residents to reduce attractants by eliminating outdoor food and closing entry points near decks, porches, and garages.
Where can I learn more?
Other raccoon encounters show how quickly unusual wildlife behavior can become dangerous near homes. They cover daylight attacks, rabies concerns in urban neighborhoods, and aggressive raccoons around people and pets.
• In Ridgewood, New Jersey, two daylight raccoon attacks within hours prompted rabies pellet discussions.
• In Quebec neighborhoods, a fast-spreading rabies risk followed raccoons into urban areas.
• At one home, nearly 100 raccoons surrounded a woman after decades of feeding there.
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