'It Was Like A Horror Movie': Pikesville Child Bitten By Raccoon
PIKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- An 8-year-old girl in Pikesville was bitten by a raccoon Monday afternoon as she was arriving home from school. After rabies shots, she's feeling okay.
Ruby Fink was walking up the driveway with her younger brother, Jaret, when a raccoon charged and jumped on her outside their home.
"You can think about it in your mind, actually getting bitten would be so scary but then if you're the one getting bitten it's actually scary," Ruby said. "This is like the rarest thing that can happen to you."
Her dad Steve, who saw the attack from the window, said the raccoon bit her inner thigh until Ruby fought it off. She had two bloody bite marks, and Ruby reported feeling dizzy from the pain.
Ruby was rushed to the emergency room, where she started the painful round of rabies treatments. Rabies shots are administered directly into the bite wounds.
"It was like a horror movie," said mom Jessica Fink. "It was horrible. I was the worst feeling you could ever imagine seeing an animal, or anything, go after your child."
Jessica said she consulted with an expert who advised that if you see a raccoon, chances are it's rabid. The health department told them rabies in raccoons is endemic in Maryland.
Sometimes they'll appear tame or friendly. Other times they'll become aggressive and snap.
"It's sad that it happened, but it's been a heck of a learning experience for them and for us," said Steve Fink.
"I have deer in my yard and I'm not afraid of them. It was just that moment, I was afraid of the raccoon," Ruby said.
Anyone bitten by an animal can try to safely capture it so that it can be tested for rabies or quarantined. Another option is to remember what the animal looks like so it can be reported to animal control.
