PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — A Providence woman is recovering after she was attacked by a raccoon while pulling weeds in her backyard earlier this week.
Providence police said the attack happened on the evening of Aug. 3 on Vassar Avenue.
Catherine Bodner said she was working in her backyard when she suddenly heard a growl.
Catherine Bodner told NBC 10’s Leanna Faulk she was working in her backyard when she suddenly heard a growl. (WJAR)
“I heard them growl and felt it attached to the back of my leg,” Bodner said. “And as it happened, I had my pruners in my hand, so I smacked it.”
She said the raccoon eventually fell off, allowing her to get up and run inside. Her husband then took her to Miriam Hospital.
Bodner said once she arrived at the hospital, her biggest concern was the fact that she was bleeding and had been attacked by a raccoon.
“I just said, I was attacked by a raccoon. I’m bleeding,” she said.
Police said Bodner spent the rest of the night at Miriam Hospital and will undergo weeks of shots.
Bodner said she has started a series of rabies vaccinations and is also taking antibiotics.
Rhode Island State Epidemiologist Dr. Suzanne Bornschein said a raccoon behaving unusually during the daytime can be cause for concern.
“So unusual activity during the day for an animal that’s normally nocturnal would have some concerns for this being a neurologic issue,” Bornschein said. “And certainly of those issues we would be considering rabies as raccoons are well known to be a rabies vector species.”
Bornschein said anyone who is bitten or scratched by a wild animal should first get away from the animal and then seek medical care, particularly if the skin was broken or there was possible contact with saliva.
She warned that delaying treatment can have deadly consequences.
“Well, one thing we know about rabies, so rabies is unfortunately a disease that without the appropriate and timely treatment is almost always fatal,” Bornschein said.
The Rhode Island Department of Health is also seeing signs of an increase in rabies-positive animals this year.
Bornschein said roughly the same number of animals are being tested at the state lab, but a greater number are coming back positive for rabies.
Rhode Island Department of Health. (WJAR)
“We’re seeing that around the same number, but we’re seeing an uptick in the number of species that have been tested that are testing positive for rabies,” she said.
Bodner said she is feeling OK but admitted she is now more cautious about going back into her backyard alone.
“I’m a little weary of going out by myself ’cause now I don’t know what’s behind me,” she said.
After surviving the attack, Bodner had some simple advice for anyone who finds themselves face-to-face with an aggressive raccoon.
“Carry a big stick,” she said. “Be ready to smack it.”