A raccoon attacked a baby inside an Idaho home this week while the baby was in a baby carrier, the state wildlife department said Friday.
The incident occurred Monday in Cassia County after the baby’s mother had just returned home, Idaho Fish and Game said in a statement.
The mother heard a noise, investigated and found the animal, she said.
“The mother found a raccoon attacking her baby. He was able to grab the animal to stop the attack,” the department said.
The boy’s father and a Cassia County sheriff’s deputy went to the home, found the raccoon still inside and killed the animal, Fish and Game said.
The baby was taken to a local hospital and then sent to a hospital in Salt Lake City, the department said.
The dead raccoon tested negative for rabies, the agency said. It’s unclear how he got to the house.
Raccoon attacks on humans are “extremely rare,” he said. The animals are usually shy.
Raccoons can weigh between 12 and 30 pounds and be about three feet long, according to the department.
