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Raccoon attacks girl, 6, as she plays with friends
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?g7699_BC_MI--RaccoonAttack&&news&newsflash-michigan ^

Posted on 06/10/2002 8:41:48 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan

Raccoon attacks girl, 6, as she plays with friends

The Associated Press
6/10/02 5:40 PM

GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A raccoon attacked a 6-year-old girl in front of several friends, biting her 10 times after jumping on her back.

Samantha Ortiz of Georgetown Township, which is near Jenison in eastern Ottawa County, was walking on a bicycle trail with five friends about 6:30 p.m. Friday when she looked back and saw the raccoon.

She said she moved to the side of the trail to let the animal pass, but it jumped on her back and started biting.

"I put my hand down and it was biting me. It was growling like a dog and biting me all over," Samantha told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Monday. "Maybe he smelled chicken 'cause I didn't wash my hands after I ate."

Samantha said she was scared because her friends ran away when the raccoon attacked.

"I didn't know if it was going to kill me," she said.

When the animal tried to bite her toes, the girl said she put one of her friend's bikes on top of the raccoon and ran home.

Her mother, Dee Cardero, said she was hysterical when she heard Samantha screaming.

"I ran and opened the front door and saw blood all over her," Cardero said.

Samantha had bites on her hands, arms and legs. She was treated at Spectrum Health Butterworth hospital, where she received rabies shots in the area of each bite.

The series of shots will continue for a month, her parents said.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: michigan; ottawacounty; rabies; raccoons
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To: tet68
Why? If you're not doing it for the fur what's the point.

Sorry, I should have explained further.

I live in a subdivision just outside of Detroit in an area that is considered the fastest growing community in Michigan if not the United States. There is very little, if any, natural habitat left for the skunk, possum and coons in this area of S.E. Michigan. So, rather than move on, they have chosen (been forced) to attempt to coexist with humans. Unfortunately, there is no happy medium with this type of creature (varmint).

If you had a problem with mice in your house would you prefer to livetrap them and release them outside rather than use a snaptrap? Probably not. So in terms of potential destruction to your house, why would you choose to exterminate the poor mouse and ignore the skunk, possum or coon? Of course this is not to imply that you would.

The animal control in this area is administered by the Michigan Humane Society. They will rent you a trap ($50) and then come and pick it up when you have caught your problem. What they do with it I do not know. Used to be a time that they would catch and release but that is now out of the question due to the extent of the urban sprawl. Would they simply take your problem and deposit it in another subdivision 5 miles away? Probably not. They would put it under in the most humane way possible.

As I have said, I have already caught 2 possum and 1 coon. The coon I released in another sub but will not do so again. The cats I released of course.

I have already noticed coon turds on my roof and another on my front porch this morning. So, my only alternative is to set my trap again. When caught, the only way to dispose of it with the least amount of pain is to drown it. If I lived in the country I would shoot it but it is illegal to discharge a firearm where I live. But again, if I lived in the country I probably wouldn't have this problem anyway.

I realize your statement made regarding meat or skins was based on the implication that I was doing this trapping only for the fun of it but as stated, that is not the case.

If you drive around the roads here you would be amazed at the number of road kill.

My dad was the chief park ranger at a metro-park not far from here and periodically, when the coon population grew out of control, they developed a virus similar to distemper which would cause them to wander around aimlessly in the daytime until they died. This was nature's way of controlling their population. Fortunately for dad and his rangers, they had the legal authority to shoot them on the spot. I remember golfing one Sunday during that time at the golf course at that park. I saw 5 such coons on the course....

81 posted on 06/12/2002 3:29:24 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: zcat
I figured that was the case.

My brother trapped for fur for several years but there isn't much of a living to be had.

82 posted on 06/12/2002 3:48:32 PM PDT by tet68
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To: Judith Anne
Cool!

I didn't realize there were bears in the missouri ozarks nowdays. When I was a kid, my parents had a cabin(trailer actually) that was within a stones throw from the huckleberry ridge conservation area. Ever heard of that? Its near a town called pineville(southwest corner of MO), and If I remember correctly, the cabin was on or near a road called "county-K" and sat on the top of a hill that the locals called "copperhead hill". I got bit by one of those snakes once while mowing grass there. For all I know, the place could be all suburbs by now though.
83 posted on 06/12/2002 4:05:18 PM PDT by mamelukesabre
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To: editor-surveyor
You must be talking about tame coons. IN the wild, the old males can get huge and really really mean. I've seen some really huge ones near the missouri river before and I wouldn't want to be within 20 yards of one unless I was in a car, which I was at time.
84 posted on 06/12/2002 4:11:42 PM PDT by mamelukesabre
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85 posted on 06/12/2002 4:12:16 PM PDT by Mo1
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To: Dan from Michigan
My brother in north Idaho had a coon problem a few years ago when I went to visit him. Seems the racoons were coming into the house through the cat door he had installed. He told me I had his permission to shoot them, big mistake.

I took his 10/22 to bed with me that night and in the morning he had four dead coons in his front yard.

86 posted on 06/12/2002 4:20:18 PM PDT by alaskanfan
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To: tet68
My brother trapped for fur

If I remember correctly, years ago there used to be a bounty on coon hides here in Michigan but that is not the case anymore. If it was, I could quit my job and cruise the roads picking up road kill. (yuck!)

Last year I lived in an apartment and for about a week I could smell a skunk which was hanging around. Finally one evening as I was coming home from work, about 200 yards from the entrance to the complex I saw the damn thing. Roadkill, end of problem....

S.E. Michigan also has a horrendous problem with deer but that should be left to another thread....

87 posted on 06/12/2002 4:28:02 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: Kryptonite
I'm taking that coon out asap!

Good, just don't tell Sungirl.

88 posted on 06/12/2002 5:07:49 PM PDT by Mark17
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To: RedBloodedAmerican
Did you ping you know who?
89 posted on 06/12/2002 5:10:38 PM PDT by Mark17
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To: Mark17
Heck no! And don't you, either!
90 posted on 06/12/2002 5:16:03 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: RedBloodedAmerican
Heck no! And don't you, either!

LOL

91 posted on 06/12/2002 5:23:47 PM PDT by Mark17
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Comment #92 Removed by Moderator

Comment #93 Removed by Moderator

Comment #94 Removed by Moderator

To: mamelukesabre
"IN the wild, the old males can get huge and really really mean."

Are you talking people or coons? ;o)

In our back yard they get up to about 60-70 pounds, and they only get mean if you try to put a noose around their neck or mess with their litters.

95 posted on 06/12/2002 5:42:12 PM PDT by editor-surveyor
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Comment #96 Removed by Moderator

To: Mark17
She oughta like this one
97 posted on 06/12/2002 5:50:34 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: Dan from Michigan
This is right around the corner from me, this is the first I've heard of it.
98 posted on 06/12/2002 5:53:58 PM PDT by exnavy
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To: You are here
They ought to have winglocks and a five day waiting period on all newborn geese.
99 posted on 06/12/2002 6:03:41 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: Dan from Michigan
We're having problems with rabid raccoons here around Atlanta.

Probably a 'coon conspiracy.

100 posted on 06/12/2002 6:16:57 PM PDT by Ole Okie
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