Video: Rabies Alert Issued After Multiple Bobcat Attacks
OutdoorHub Reporters 01.05.17
Bobcats are normally non-aggressive and want nothing to do with humans, but this one was quite different.
A rabies alert has been issued for Venice and North Port by the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County after discovering a rabid bobcat in the area. The Florida Department of Health reported two bobcat attacks within 4 miles of each other.
The clip below shows what happened after one cat ran into a home, belonging to Karen Morse, and wildlife officers attempted to capture it:
The officer was eventually able to corral the cat, but not before it leaped up and got him on the chin. No need for your morning coffee after doing battle with a rabid bobcat!
“It was very unnerving to have him jump up there; it was almost like he was almost to his chin if not to his face. He bled,” Morse said. “The thought of the bobcat having rabies never crossed Karen or her family’s minds, it wasn’t until the next day when the FWC showed back up at their door that they knew something was wrong,” Fox 13 News reports.
The bobcat ended up testing positive for rabies, and now Karen Morse and the FWC officer will have to undergo a painful series of rabies shots.
A second cat attacked two men on a walk, but it was not captured. Officials have placed traps in the area in hopes to catch it.
People are encouraged not to keep pet food outside, to secure garbage containers, and to keep pets under supervision. Any suspect animal bites should be reported to DOH-Sarasota at 941-861-6133.
