Raccoon sitting on a tree.
A child was hospitalized after a raccoon attack inside the family's home, state officials said Friday.
The incident happened on Monday in Cassia County after the child's mom had just returned home with the infant still in the carrier, the Idaho Fish and Game Department said in a statement.
The mother then heard a loud noise in the home and ran to the infant to find a raccoon attacking him, officials said.
“The mother found a raccoon attacking her infant. She was able to grab the animal to stop the attack,” the department said in a statement.
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The child was taken to the Cassia Regional Hospital and then transferred to a hospital in Salt Lake City for further treatment, officials said.
After the hospital drop-off, the child's father along with a Cassia County Sheriff's deputy returned to the home, found the raccoon still inside and killed it, wildlife officials said.
The raccoon tested negative for rabies. Officials do not know how it got into the home.
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Raccoon attacks against humans are "extremely rare," but they can become aggressive if they feel threatened, officials said in a statement.
