Kenny Brancefield has seen plenty of raccoons but remembers one in particular from a few years ago.
He was headed to his taxidermy shop on Oak Grove Road in Benton, Tenn., when he saw a raccoon standing on its hind legs across the street from his business.
“It was a little too bold. I thought it was rabid because most of the time they get gone,” said Mr. Brancefield, who runs Brancefield Wildlife Studio.
“It stayed around long enough for me to take a shot at it with the front tire of my truck.”
Three rabid raccoons have been found in Polk County this year, and health officials warn residents to take notice and avoid overly bold or unusually aggressive animals.
If You Go
* What: Rabies Pet Vaccination Clinic
* When: 2 p.m. Sept. 20
* Where: Piggly Wiggly parking lot, Ducktown, Tenn.
Cost: $10
The Tennessee Department of Health will host a special rabies vaccination clinic Sept. 20 to try to keep the rabies virus from spreading to pets, according to Beth Delaney, public information officer with the health agency’s Southeast region.
Ms. Delaney said about 500 pets were vaccinated at the regular rabies clinic in Polk County in the spring. The extra clinic is intended to catch those who slipped through the cracks, she said.
Eric Coffey, the department’s regional environmental health manager, said a few unvaccinated domestic animals had to be tested and at least one euthanized after being exposed to a rabid raccoon this year.
“With the extra cases that came through, we just want to make sure,” Mr. Coffey said.
Andy began working at the Times Free Press in July 2008 as a general assignment reporter before focusing on Northwest Georgia and Georgia politics in May of 2009. Before coming to the Times Free Press, Andy worked for the Anniston Star, the Rome News Tribune and the Campus Carrier at Berry College, where he graduated with a communications degree in 2006. He is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Tennessee ...
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