Oct 5, 2009 9:00 am US/Pacific
Fla. Woman, 74, 'Filleted' By Pack Of Raccoons
LAKELAND, Fla. (CBS) ―
-
-
Officials in Lakeland, Fla., say a woman suffered a severe attack by a pack of raccoons, requiring dozens of staples and sutures. (File)
AP
"We're not talking about a lot of little bites here, she was filleted."
That's how Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described an attack on 74-year-old Gretchen Whitted of Lakeland by a pack of raccoons. Whitted was trying to shoo the pesky critters out away from her front door.
"When she fell down, they enveloped her," said Judd in a news conference called Sunday to warn the public of the aggressive raccoons, according to CBS affiliate
WTSP-TV in Tampa.
"Not in all my years in Florida have I known of a gang attack by raccoons on an individual," Judd told WTSP.
A neighbor called for help after hearing the woman's cries and seeing her covered in blood, reports
CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami.
Whitted was hospitalized and treated for numerous and extensive cuts from her neck to her legs. She received dozens of staples and sutures and was treated for rabies, though officials doubt the animals were infected.
Fire crews flooded nearby drains where some of the animals escaped, but none turned up. Animal Control officers hope to catch them in traps baited with wet cat food and sardines.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments