Posted on 10/16/2002 4:03:27 PM PDT by hawkeye101
'Pet' Raccoon Chews Infant's Face
Report: Child Will Need Reconstructive Surgery
DES MOINES, Iowa -- A pet raccoon attacked a 2-month-old baby in Des Moines early Wednesday morning.
The baby's mother called police just before 4:30 a.m. to report that the family's raccoon was on top of the child, chewing on his face.
A condition report has not been released, but a police report said an officer on the scene did not believe the injuries to Elijah Evans were life threatening. The same report said Evans would need major plastic surgery.
The attack happened at 1416 19th St. The mother said the family had a raccoon that they domesticated and had adopted as a pet.
The mother had been asleep on one couch with her 13-month-old child. Elijah was on another couch near her in the living room.
A neighbor, who babysat Elijah, said she was shocked by the news. "I knew they had a cat, but not a raccoon. So that's surprising. Yes, very surprising," the neighbor said.
The raccoon was put to sleep and will be tested for rabies. No charges have been filed against the family, but police called the Department of Human Services.
We had goofy neighbors when I was a child that kept three racoons as pets, but at least they had the sense to keep them outdoors in a cage!
Well, he does this, and sure enough the next day, there were TWO raccoons in the cage, kinda looking pi$$ed off. So he goes to stuff another marshmellow in the cage, and they look up at him as if to say: "You know where you can stick those marshmellows"
This woman deserves no children. Any sane person, especially a mother, would have immediately pulled the racoon off and called an ambulance.
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