“Mom come quickly,” said my daughter standing by the door.
Here’s what we saw
We went outside for a closer look. I think this raccoon was sick.
- This raccoon was stumbling.
- It’s behavior was similar to rabid animals that I’ve observed.
- A car came down in our community and the raccoon didn’t move. The car had to move around it or it would have run it over.
We watched it for a while and then eventually went back inside. A few hours later we heard a loud bang. This raccoon was on our neighbors property. He shot him with his shotgun. It was a clean shot and the raccoon died instantly. My daughter was upset, but I reminded her that this raccoon was sick and it didn’t have long to live.
It wasn’t only sick, it was a danger to other animals and, potentially, other people. If you see a normally nocturnal animal behaving strangely during daylight hours, it’s probably got rabies, from what I understand.
Mike recently posted..Eyes of the Great Depression 098.
@Mike, A few years ago a fox stumbled into our yard. That was extremely unusual behavior for an animal that is normally nocturnal and shy. That fox was drooling, so I knew he had rabies. We had to kill him.
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Awww poor thing! That’s a tough one…when there is no hope for them, ya know? So very sad that this lil guy is no longer ‘with us’ – may he rest in peace. I hate hearing stuff like this but you hate to hear about them suffering, too. Tough one, indeed!
He looks very thin…and/or young. Almost can’t tell which. Virtual HUGS to your daughter!
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@Jennifer, I felt sorry that it had rabies, but not sorry that it was killed. I called the neighbor and let him know about the raccoon. If he hadn’t done it, I would have shot the poor animal.
My daughter looked at this post and informed me that it was shot about twenty minutes later. I was watching it the entire time we went inside. It seemed like hours drug by, but I’m guessing that was because I was concerned. In hindsight, I would have killed it immediately (although it would have pained me to do so) even though it was adorable.
My hesitation came because I didn’t want to walk over there with gun in hand so that’s why I called my neighbor, I know he’s also a gun owner. As Mike mentioned a rabid animal can be dangerous to animals and people.
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Indeed Rabies is dangerous to ALL…scary, thing! We have a few cases every year it seems. One of the main reasons I have indoor furkids! They are only out when I am with them!
Jennifer recently posted..Green Garlic, Weather, Leftovers, Cancer Sucks, Buying Bulk, Bangkok Rice Crisps, Daiya Wildtree Nacho Cheese, Raw(ish) Vegan Vodka Sauce,
@Jennifer, Yes, Bentley is only outside when we are of course having pets bring their own “problems” such as intestinal parasites which is can be hard to detect.
The kitchen has always been off limits for our pets. Their paws track through everything. Some lick themselves to keep clean and the thought of animals on kitchen counter tops (exposed butt) makes me a bit queasy. I won’t eat places where I know people let their pets lounge around on counter tops.
Mr. B is treated, via natural remedies, for intestinal parasites. My daughter and I take them also. Actually it’s a good idea for everyone to use them whether they have pets or walk outside barefoot.
And with this response, I’ve now revealed some of my animal related pet peeves… 😉
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