75-Year-Old Woman Strangles Rabid Raccoon After it Attacks Her
Class Overton, 75, was attacked by a rabid raccoon while taking a hike through the Lewis Ginter Garden in Richmond. The animal emerged from the nearby woods and lashed at Overton, scratching and clawing her leg violently as she tried to shake it off.
"I tried to shake it off and realized how violent it was. As I moved backward away from it, I grabbed its neck and I knew that I couldn't get away from it...So I threw it to the ground and I strangled it - with both hands," said Overton, while speaking to Richmond Times Dispatch.
After the raccoon was dead, Overton had the presence of mind to immediately contact the front desk of the Nature centre. The staff members then called 911 and she received timely medical assistance after being taken to a local hospital. She received her first of many shots for the prevention of rabies.
Rabies is a deadly form of virus which is usually transmitted through saliva and blood. People who receive bites from rabid animals are required to quickly get rabies shots. Once the first signs of symptoms start setting in, the disease becomes incurable.
Skunks and raccoons in the US are common carriers of the disease. Usually both these animals are nocturnal but when they are infected with rabies, the virus causes the animal to undermine its natural instincts.
Blood and saliva samples from the raccoon tested positive for rabies.
In spite of being a self- proclaimed animal lover, Overton knew during the time of the attack that it would be either her or the raccoon. She added, "I am a terrific animal lover but you know, self-preservation kicks in, and I guess a primitive part of my brain just went into operation and that was it."
