Never trust a wild animal
A bobcat runs through a yard in south Lakeland on Wednesday. The
bobcat repeatedly went into an open garage in the area and
aggressively chased people who were outside. Polk County Sheriff's
Office Animal Control Officers responded, and one of the officers
was scratched.
After capture, the animal had to be euthanized because of its
aggressiveness toward people and so it could be tested for rabies.
The animal was sent to the state laboratory for rabies testing and
was confirmed positive Thursday. This is the third case of an
animal testing positive for rabies in Polk County this year. -
Lakeland Ledger, Sept. 21 (Photo by Scott Wheeler)
I grew up on a farm in the Florida panhandle. To meet the school bus,
I walked a quarter mile along an old wagon trail through the woods to
the paved road.
When I was in first grade, a major outbreak of rabies occurred in that
part of the state, so my mother - more concerned about the danger than
I was, of course - walked with me to the bus stop for several months.
Rabid animals were attacking livestock and pets, so my parents' fears
for my safety were not irrational. I heard descriptions of "foaming at
the mouth" animals and the series of painful shots to the stomach that
might prevent dying a slow and painful death if bitten by a rabid
animal!
The closest I came to one, however, was the morning that a red fox, in
broad daylight, approached the farm house. The hound dogs, along with
the free-range chickens and guineas, alarmed by a fox running wildly
about the woodpile and vegetable garden, were raising a terrible
racket. My dad grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun and, standing on the back
porch, fired once as the fox came flying over the picket fence toward
the dogs. Struck in midair, the poor creature hit the ground dead.
The dogs had been given their rabies shots, so they were relatively
safe, but the incident was frightening nonetheless. I learned my
lesson well: avoid wild animals as much as possible -- especially the
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