Rabid bobcat attacks 3 inside Arizona bar | LOCAL NEWS | Arizona | azfamily.com
COTTONWOOD – A bobcat was on the loose inside an Arizona bar.
The bobcat in the bar caused a panic Tuesday night in Cottonwood near Sedona.
Three people were hurt and the bobcat was killed.
Cottonwood Police were called out to three different scenes Tuesday night all within an hour and a mile of each other. Everyone was complaining of an aggressive bobcat that attacked three people. 3TV has learned the bobcat was rabid.
One patron tells 3TV, “I was sitting in the back and watched the bobcat run in.”
That bobcat caught patrons off guard, causing some to jump on pool tables and grab pool sticks before pulling their cell phone cameras out for pictures. Another patron explains, “My friend got down with his camera phone and the cat jumped up and hit him in the face.”
Kyle Hicks is now undergoing treatment for rabies. He tells 3TV the bobcat, “Scratched up my face and pretty good the back of my ears.”
Another patron had his leg scratched by the sick wild animal while trying to get out of its way.
Cottonwood Police later shot the bobcat three times and killed it. The animal was then sent to Phoenix for rabies testing.
Randy Babb, with Arizona Fish and Game explains, “A normal healthy wild animal doesn't want anything to do with human beings.”
The fact this one did just that on three different occasions Tuesday night led everyone to believe it was rabid and now test results confirm just that.
Elisabeth Lawaczeck, with the Arizona Department of Health Services admits, “We don't know yet what kind of rabies the bobcat was infected with.” Health officials think it may be the fox strain and, according to Lawaczeck, “That means we'll probably see more cases.”
Already there are 66 documented rabies cases in Arizona so the public is being warned to get their animals vaccinated and avoid and report any wild animals acting strangely.
Lawaczeck warns, “Right now Mt. Eledon area of Flagstaff is a concern, the trails around Granite Mountain are a concern and Sedona is always a concern for rabies in fox and bobcat.”
Again, healthy wild animals typically do not approach people but if they do then you should call law enforcement or animal control.
The best advice is to keep your family pets vaccinated.
COTTONWOOD – A bobcat was on the loose inside an Arizona bar.
The bobcat in the bar caused a panic Tuesday night in Cottonwood near Sedona.
Three people were hurt and the bobcat was killed.
Cottonwood Police were called out to three different scenes Tuesday night all within an hour and a mile of each other. Everyone was complaining of an aggressive bobcat that attacked three people. 3TV has learned the bobcat was rabid.
One patron tells 3TV, “I was sitting in the back and watched the bobcat run in.”
That bobcat caught patrons off guard, causing some to jump on pool tables and grab pool sticks before pulling their cell phone cameras out for pictures. Another patron explains, “My friend got down with his camera phone and the cat jumped up and hit him in the face.”
Kyle Hicks is now undergoing treatment for rabies. He tells 3TV the bobcat, “Scratched up my face and pretty good the back of my ears.”
Another patron had his leg scratched by the sick wild animal while trying to get out of its way.
Cottonwood Police later shot the bobcat three times and killed it. The animal was then sent to Phoenix for rabies testing.
Randy Babb, with Arizona Fish and Game explains, “A normal healthy wild animal doesn't want anything to do with human beings.”
The fact this one did just that on three different occasions Tuesday night led everyone to believe it was rabid and now test results confirm just that.
Elisabeth Lawaczeck, with the Arizona Department of Health Services admits, “We don't know yet what kind of rabies the bobcat was infected with.” Health officials think it may be the fox strain and, according to Lawaczeck, “That means we'll probably see more cases.”
Already there are 66 documented rabies cases in Arizona so the public is being warned to get their animals vaccinated and avoid and report any wild animals acting strangely.
Lawaczeck warns, “Right now Mt. Eledon area of Flagstaff is a concern, the trails around Granite Mountain are a concern and Sedona is always a concern for rabies in fox and bobcat.”
Again, healthy wild animals typically do not approach people but if they do then you should call law enforcement or animal control.
The best advice is to keep your family pets vaccinated.
