Woman Of Action

Back in June, we brought you the story of Dale Rippy of Wesley Chapel, Florida. He is the guy who was viciously attacked by a rabid bobcat. Rippy, with no weapons or means of self defense, kept his cool and did the exact right thing - he strangled the animal before it could hurt others. Well, Rippy is not alone on the hero bench. A Connecticut woman (not identified by name, unfortunately) pulled a rabid raccoon off of a five-year old child and strangled it with her bare hands.

CHESHIRE, Conn. - A woman killed a raccoon with her bare hands Thursday when the animal attacked a young boy. Officials with Cheshire animal control say the woman was walking in the woods around 11 a.m. with a group of children when the animal bit the 5-year-old son of a friend.

She pulled the raccoon off the child, told the children to run home and strangled the animal, authorities said.

The animal tested positive for rabies; both the woman and the child are undergoing treatment for exposure to rabies. But she did - without hesitation - the exactly right thing in a very bad situation. Had the animal escaped, it could have - actually probably would have - spread the disease further and may have caused more death and injury. A tip of the Crabihat to the unidentified woman - you did real good in a bad situation.