Posted on 09/29/2004 9:36:37 AM PDT by flying Elvis
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (AP) A Douglas County sheriff's deputy and a woman have been treated and released after being attacked by a bobcat.
Deputy Chris Ernst was called to the scene Tuesday after a woman reported being bitten by a large cat, said Douglas County Chief Deputy Stan Copeland.
``While he was at the residence, he was attacked by a 40-plus pound bobcat,'' Copeland said.
Before Ernst could draw his gun, the cat latched onto his leg, Copeland said.
Lt. Eddie Davis, who was there with Ernst, was then unable to shoot the bobcat without endangering Ernst. Instead, he used a knife to kill the animal, Copeland said.
Ernst and the woman who was bitten were both taken to the hospital, where they were treated and released, pending the results of rabies tests. The bobcat's carcass was turned over to Animal Control, Copeland said.
Although the large cats are common in the area, it is unusual for one to attack because they usually stay away from people, Copeland said.
See previous story about kid being suspended for having a penknife and a steak knife in the glove compartment of his car on the school grounds. He better never meet up with a bobcat????
"Lucky that Lt. Davis is just a big ol' country boy," said Copeland. "He had some quick thinking. He was unable to shoot the cat because it was latched onto Deputy Ernst, so he used his knife and actually cut the cat's throat to get him off of the deputy."
They showed video of the cat on the noon channel 2 news. It was a big'un.
on our family farm we had a couple of cats that were assumed to be half bobcat, those guys were big mean and tough! they took over the doghouse and the poor dog was scared of them
Lookout neighbor!
I should have thought of you when I saw this thread, and should have known you'd likely know the players, given the locale. spodefly, vigilantcitizen is local, and I'll take his assessment in a heartbeat.
I read an article a while back that reported a Canadian Lynx caught in an Eastern State where it didn't really belong,one of the Carolinas,IIRC.
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With fur bearer populations so high,I'm seeing more bobcats in strange places you wouldn't expect and that don't have their normal timidity of people.
Also,I've seen more rabies in the last several years than I once thought I'd see in my life and know one person that had to take the shots after being attacked by a rabid domestic cat.
I've lived here in Douglas county most of my life.
In the last ten or so years, there's been a large increase in the number of big cat sightings here in the county and statewide. Not only bobcats, but cougars too. Georgia DNR is in a total denial act over this issue.
Back in 1997, I was driving home from work at 1 am and I saw a cougar. I went back to the same location the next morning and found it's prints which were WAY bigger than my 100 pound lab's.
I called Georgia DNR and here's how the conversation went:
Me: I saw a cougar.
DNR: There are no cougars in Georgia.
Me: No, for real. I know what I saw. There's alot of dairy farms and hunters in that area, and this cat is big enough to be a problem.
DNR: There are no cougars in Georgia.
Me: Look man....It left tracks on the side of the road. I'll meet you there. It's not 30 minutes from your station at Sweetwater park.
DNR: There are no cougars in Georgia.
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I've heard exactly the same story from other people that's seen big cats. I don't understand it.
I've run into several critters that had rabies but only one,a big dog,was actually foaming at the mouth like you hear about and he wasn't doing it when I first came in contact with him.
He acted like he wanted attention or help at first,then changed into the spookiest critter I've ever seen,"very" threatening.
He began foaming(big time)just before he made his first threatening moves and kept it up even through the times when he seemed to be wanting help.
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Coons are one of the worst critters for carrying rabies and even a healthy one can really eat your lunch if he's mad.Be carefull around them and remove them from around your place if you can.
You might try a live trap.Once coons start coming around they don't scare off very easily but are reasonably simple to catch when they've gotten used to raiding settled areas.
If you do catch them live,I would suggest not releasing them elsewhere because of the chance of spreading disease to another area.
For a cheap,simple live trap,a barrel or tall trashcan rigged with a board to tip the critter into it when he tries to get the bait works well for 'coons and 'possums.
Remember to stabilize it so it can't turn over.
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