Police Repeatedly Run Over Rabid Raccoon in Upstate New York

a reply to: SlowNail

Much like anything cops do its going to get over analyzed. Nobody knows if it was rabid or not,but they likely had a call about this raccoon,or have had issues with rabid animals in the area better to be safe than sorry. Sure it would be nice for Animal Control but as mentioned they might not have any nearby. Why let it get some where that it could injure a human or a pet. Rabies is nasty as hell, seriously doubt the officers were enjoying doing what they were doing, pretty sure gun fire in a parking lot isn't best idea either. Nor would be letting it get out of the parking lot, but until officers get trained and equipped and suburbia encroaches on wildlife and vice versa, situations like this are going to happen. Now imagine this person filming the cops waiting for a shot and somebody getting bit, even it it wasn't rabid they would have caught hell then too.

originally posted by: silo13
a reply to: CynConcepts

If it's eyes are all cock-eyed how does it get in the cage?

Big cage door with a 5 yo in the back for bait.

This was obviously a rabid raccoon he kept attacking police cars by jumping in to there way. Oh and just so you know you don't want to try to kill a raccoon with a pistol. They can jump 5 ft into the air and are a lot faster then you would think.

a reply to: putnam6

Gotta do what you gotta do. Chasing it around in a cruiser doesn't exactly seem efficient though.

Wonder if he had to saw the head off?

www.ne... wyorkupstate.com/capital-region/2018/03/watch_upstate_ny_police_try_to_run_over_rabid_raccoon_in_disturbing_video.htmla reply to: SlowNail

LOL I know LOL.

They were in no win situation though as far as getting filmed though,unless they could have ignored it and drove off LOL.LOL and these days even that could have produced a backlash. I do know discharging your side arm usually among all the other variables like location, innocent people present etc.,also incurs paperwork and official inquiry and possible discipline if it wasn't warranted. Not saying an impromptu game of Frogger was good, it might have been the lesser of 2 evils,that accomplished the task at hand.

Animal Control. Dart. Cage. Vet. Painless death by injection.
IF it was actually rabid. But let's not expect those dashing heroes to use sound judgement right?
Takes away from the badass image they present by chasing down a terrified animal with an SUV.

Honest question : These are the people I'm supposed to trust to protect me and my family?

Seriously?

originally posted by: DAVID64
.

Honest question : These are the people I'm supposed to trust to protect me and my family?

Seriously?

well with humans they normally shoot a 'rabid person' , aka someone running away or pinned to the ground or handcuffed. and if you have a mental illness and a family member calls the police, statistically we know the outcome.

honest answer to your Q, call the police at your own discretion knowing what you know.

a reply to: DAVID64

Animal Control.

Had they done any different, they would have placed themselves and others at great risk.

Dart.

Slow-acting and inefficient against a rabid animal. Their nervous system is already shutting down. One bite and a pet or rat or any other mammal nearby is rabid and can spread the disease farther... quite a risk.

Cage.

Not going to go into a cage. Rabid animals travel in a straight line unless they find something to attack.

Vet.

No vet is going near a rabid animal. They know better.

Painless death by injection.

Combined with the painful death of the injecter?

Again, this is an animal considered rabid. It's in essence a zombie... unable to be saved, insane, extremely aggressive, extremely contagious, and in great pain as it dies slowly. It is easily capable of spreading possibly the single most destructive virus known in mammals.

And as dragonridr said above, coons are not sweet cuddly critters, although I will agree they are cute. They're closely related to the wolverine and mink. A full-grown coon can whip three hound dogs when not rabid. Hollywood has painted them as cute and cuddly, but the truth is they can be as mean and vicious as they are cute. Add in rabies, and a coon is a very formidable critter.

TheRedneck

a reply to: notsure1

I've always assumed that, in the event of a zombie apocalypse, I'd befriend a cute cop who'd use his gun to dispatch the infected. Now I will know to look at his tires before I hop in.

originally posted by: notsure1

originally posted by: dashen
what else were they supposed to do?
gunfire clearly would have been useless against it

Yep we all know raccoons are immune to bullets.

they may not be immune to bullets. but it can easily take a fair number of headshots to kill one that is rabid. one at a camp i was at took something like 6 or 7 headshots before it finally went down. in all honesty if they can do it. running it over might actually be about the best way to handle it. no chance of the officer getting bitten, when it won't go down. no chance of missed shots and or ricochets hitting anyone.

I thought cops carried 12ga riot guns for stuff like this.

I don't care how tough a raccoon is, a couple pumps of a Mossberg 12ga will stop the rampage without bullets flying everywhere.

originally posted by: generik

originally posted by: notsure1

originally posted by: dashen
what else were they supposed to do?
gunfire clearly would have been useless against it

Yep we all know raccoons are immune to bullets.

they may not be immune to bullets. but it can easily take a fair number of headshots to kill one that is rabid. one at a camp i was at took something like 6 or 7 headshots before it finally went down.

Which is why you aim for the heart.

originally posted by: eNumbra

originally posted by: generik

originally posted by: notsure1

originally posted by: dashen
what else were they supposed to do?
gunfire clearly would have been useless against it

Yep we all know raccoons are immune to bullets.

they may not be immune to bullets. but it can easily take a fair number of headshots to kill one that is rabid. one at a camp i was at took something like 6 or 7 headshots before it finally went down.

Which is why you aim for the heart.

Ever tried to hit a spot the size of a quarter while its both moving and being obscured?

If you can get an animal to stop to feed or something, you may have the chance to have it be still long enough to dial in a shot like that. Since you don't typically intend to eat rabid racoon...i'd just load up the 00 buck shot. No need to even aim.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan

originally posted by: eNumbra

originally posted by: generik

originally posted by: notsure1

originally posted by: dashen
what else were they supposed to do?
gunfire clearly would have been useless against it

Yep we all know raccoons are immune to bullets.

they may not be immune to bullets. but it can easily take a fair number of headshots to kill one that is rabid. one at a camp i was at took something like 6 or 7 headshots before it finally went down.

Which is why you aim for the heart.

Ever tried to hit a spot the size of a quarter while its both moving and being obscured?

If you can get an animal to stop to feed or something, you may have the chance to have it be still long enough to dial in a shot like that. Since you don't typically intend to eat rabid racoon...i'd just load up the 00 buck shot. No need to even aim.

Oh I won’t argue that any shotgun isn’t better suited, but aiming for the body over the head in the same scenario is more likely to do what you need it too if you don’t have a shotgun.

a reply to: eNumbra

ahh...yes. Agreed. Center of mass is always the best bet.

I make a poor stand in for annie oakley, despite being a good shot. No need to try to the trick shots.

originally posted by: Guyfriday
I see no issues with this. Like it was pointed out above, the police couldn't have shot it since a stray bullet could have been worse for anyone hit by it, the blood spray going airborne could have been worse, and in the end someone would have cried foul about the police shooting the diseased critter.

If anyone has a better idea as to how to handle the situation, I'd like to hear it, since I have to deal with these varmints yearly. Sometimes rabid, sometime not. I don't know until they're dead and checked out by a quailed Vet.

The rabid raccoon was a lib. Absolutely no gunfire. Instead of running it over, they should have put it in a safe space.

I guess that there is not a single thread topic where people who have never had experience with the topic at hand will make ignorant claims and statements.

I'm willing to bet that some of you don't even comprehend how contagious and deadly rabies is to human beings.

originally posted by: odzeandennz

and if you have a mental illness and a family member calls the police, statistically we know the outcome.

We do? Please proved the source of the statistics so that we can all see the percentage of calls from family members concerning issues with mentally ill family members that end in anyone being shot or killed.

I mean, I'm not calling you a liar when you claim to know the statistics and that they support your insinuation, but...

...yes, I am.

Call Animal Control and head for the doughnut shop

End of problem.

OMG!
all those kids it kill'd !
if only they had kill'd it sooner.
BAN Raccoons!!!!

Guardians of the Galaxy
are Never coming to Earth again!!!