Which gun do I use?

Crazy crazy crazy. How do you know an animal is rabid?

We don't have a rabies problem over here. My only exposure to rabies was as a child through the movie Cujo.

Yeah but you have dingos, so it's kind of a wash...
 
If the creature was rabid put on some rubber glove and grab it with a garbage bag, just turn that inside out around it (especially if there are brains around but that part may just be something my uncles told me to gross me out, no point taking chances though.)

Rabies spreads primarily through the nervous system (nerves, brain, spinal tissue) so your uncles weren't just trying to gross you out there. That said, any body fluid from a rabid animal is a hazard.

Depending on conditions, it can stay alive and infectious for a few days without a live host. I don't think it's safe to assume that it's non-infectious when the body cools - in fact this info suggests that it survives longer in cooler surroundings.

So, yeah, if at all possible I'd be looking to let a professional deal with the remains. Failing that, one-in-ten bleach on the whole mess, gloves, and disposing of it in something that's not going to be punctured accidentally - you don't want to be stabbing the garbage guy with a sharp bit of bone.

All of it. A raccoon. A raccoon that needs to be killed. Rabies. Which gun because there's a billion to choose from.

It's all so foreign.

I'm with Rainshine on this. I don't mean to downplay the situation or say that the OP did the wrong thing, just commenting on how weird the situation is from an Australian perspective. For all that we love scaring tourists, there's very little in .au that will try to kill you, and if you have a wild animal in your yard the usual response is "leave it alone and it'll leave you alone".

(There are a few exceptions, chiefly crocodiles, but as long as you treat crocodiles with all the respect due to a twenty-foot ambush predator that can sneak like a ninja you should be okay. I find staying away from crocodile territory works pretty well.)
 
Rabies spreads primarily through the nervous system (nerves, brain, spinal tissue) so your uncles weren't just trying to gross you out there. That said, any body fluid from a rabid animal is a hazard.

Depending on conditions, it can stay alive and infectious for a few days without a live host. I don't think it's safe to assume that it's non-infectious when the body cools - in fact this info suggests that it survives longer in cooler surroundings.

So, yeah, if at all possible I'd be looking to let a professional deal with the remains. Failing that, one-in-ten bleach on the whole mess, gloves, and disposing of it in something that's not going to be punctured accidentally - you don't want to be stabbing the garbage guy with a sharp bit of bone.



I'm with Rainshine on this. I don't mean to downplay the situation or say that the OP did the wrong thing, just commenting on how weird the situation is from an Australian perspective. For all that we love scaring tourists, there's very little in .au that will try to kill you, and if you have a wild animal in your yard the usual response is "leave it alone and it'll leave you alone".

(There are a few exceptions, chiefly crocodiles, but as long as you treat crocodiles with all the respect due to a twenty-foot ambush predator that can sneak like a ninja you should be okay. I find staying away from crocodile territory works pretty well.)

Even where we are we don't actually have a 'garbage man' anymore. They've got that truck that dumps the container (hard to call it a can since it's not round.) I'm with you on not messing around with dead stuff. I looked at one site, don't recall where, that said you should keep the remains cold until the Health Dept. can collect them. WTF? They want me to put THAT in my freezer?? NFW is that happening. I'm double bagging Rocky and letting hubby deal with the it when he gets home if I can, if I can't he goes in the trash.

Generally I love watching what wanders in and out of the yard. We get quite the little menagerie. The skunks are beautiful at a distance and the fox has been known to bring her kits to the edge of the woods (so cute.) They get plenty of room to do their thing. The same with the rabbits and such. Granted we have a bat box up but not too near the house (those things will go THRU some bugs.)
Mostly you leave them alone and all is well. Stuff like this morning is the exception not the usual thing in my experience.
I was taught early what sort of things to watch for in an animal for safety sake but that's just good sense. If you live out in the country it's the sort of thing you need to know. It isn't to scare anyone, just part of life, the same as looking both ways when you cross the street.

On a side note, it isn't mean to destroy a rabid animal. You're sort of doing it a favor because rabies is an awful way to die.
 
Crazy crazy crazy. How do you know an animal is rabid?

We don't have a rabies problem over here. My only exposure to rabies was as a child through the movie Cujo.

Well a big part of the "no rabies problem" is that y'all shoot any foreign dog that shows up in a plane or on a boat.

And Aussies have guns...what else do you use to shoot a Roo from the back of a Ute?

:D
 
I was taught early what sort of things to watch for in an animal for safety sake but that's just good sense. If you live out in the country it's the sort of thing you need to know. It isn't to scare anyone, just part of life, the same as looking both ways when you cross the street.

On a side note, it isn't mean to destroy a rabid animal. You're sort of doing it a favor because rabies is an awful way to die.

Oh yeah, I understand why you have to do it. It's just quite a mental shift, like learning to drive on the opposite side of the road. (Actually, "opposite side of the road" wasn't so much of an issue as "opposite side of the car"; clipped the kerb a couple of times before I got used to it.)

I think it's also that living in Australia my main exposure to raccoons (and indeed skunks) is as cute cartoon animals. I'm enough of a med geek to know they're a rabies threat, but it's still hard thinking of them as other than lovable scamps.
 
Well a big part of the "no rabies problem" is that y'all shoot any foreign dog that shows up in a plane or on a boat.

And Aussies have guns...what else do you use to shoot a Roo from the back of a Ute?

:D

It's not quite that harsh. Used to be a long quarantine period for importing dogs, now I think it's as little as 10 days depending on where they're coming from. But, yeah, Australia is pretty fussy about quarantine issues for good reason. On of the big worries is rabies coming in up north from Indonesia; Aboriginal communities in the Top End tend to have a lot of semi-feral dogs wandering around, and a rabies outbreak in that situation would be pretty horrendous.

Personally, I don't shoot roos at all, although I'm happy to eat roo shot by others.
 
It's not quite that harsh. Used to be a long quarantine period for importing dogs, now I think it's as little as 10 days depending on where they're coming from. But, yeah, Australia is pretty fussy about quarantine issues for good reason. On of the big worries is rabies coming in up north from Indonesia; Aboriginal communities in the Top End tend to have a lot of semi-feral dogs wandering around, and a rabies outbreak in that situation would be pretty horrendous.

Personally, I don't shoot roos at all, although I'm happy to eat roo shot by others.
If you'd ever accidentally gotten between a raccoon and her litter you'd understand that they can be pretty fierce. They aren't small creatures and any wild thing coming at you will put you back a step.
With rabies even something as seemingly harmless as a squirrel can be a danger so avoiding an outbreak is something that the Health Dept and Wildlife Management stay on pretty close.

I've never had kangaroo. Venison and gator but not that. What is it most like?
 
If you'd ever accidentally gotten between a raccoon and her litter you'd understand that they can be pretty fierce. They aren't small creatures and any wild thing coming at you will put you back a step.
With rabies even something as seemingly harmless as a squirrel can be a danger so avoiding an outbreak is something that the Health Dept and Wildlife Management stay on pretty close.

I've never had kangaroo. Venison and gator but not that. What is it most like?

I can't eat kangaroo; it makes me jumpy.
 
Good job getting rid of the damn varmit, rabies or not. For those who don't know - rabies is one of the few things that's considered 100% lethal, 100% of the time. You don't "get rabies," "get shots," and "get better." You basically "get rabies" and then you die, horribly. Here's a very interesting story about it:
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/19/157049292/terrible-virus-fascinating-history-in-rabid

One of the few cases in all of human history of rabies being "cured." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4186205

Meanwhile - thanks for the smiles along the way!
 
Quarantine is pretty strict over here, we're not even allowed to move fruit between states and there are quarantines in place for certain pets to move between states too.

ETA: I haven't shot a gun in my life, and can't ever foresee a time when I would. I've eaten kangaroo once and didn't like it. You can buy it at the butchers and in the supermarkets these days and I think a lot of kangaroo goes into pet food. It's a very lean meat.

What do you do with all the kangaroos you catch in the kangaroo traps you place all around your yard?
 
I'm building an army. Shhhh.

You mean like this?

20092254-020_w480.jpg
menkangasuits.png
 
Quarantine is pretty strict over here, we're not even allowed to move fruit between states and there are quarantines in place for certain pets to move between states too.

ETA: I haven't shot a gun in my life, and can't ever foresee a time when I would. I've eaten kangaroo once and didn't like it. You can buy it at the butchers and in the supermarkets these days and I think a lot of kangaroo goes into pet food. It's a very lean meat.
I'm going shooting on Sunday (weather permitting--it's an outdoor range)
In my life I've only shot at circles on paper for the most part, I've had men to tend to the other stuff. I'd just as soon keep it that way but I do have a pistol by the bed.
Since I was born I've lived in houses where there were guns. As a kid they weren't locked up. I was just taught what they were and why to leave them be, same as I was taught not to go try to start the car. Now we don't have kids in the house and cats don't have thumbs so I don't worry about locking them up when we're home.
I can't truly imagine living in a house without them though.
 
I'm going shooting on Sunday (weather permitting--it's an outdoor range)
In my life I've only shot at circles on paper for the most part, I've had men to tend to the other stuff. I'd just as soon keep it that way but I do have a pistol by the bed.
Since I was born I've lived in houses where there were guns. As a kid they weren't locked up. I was just taught what they were and why to leave them be, same as I was taught not to go try to start the car. Now we don't have kids in the house and cats don't have thumbs so I don't worry about locking them up when we're home.
I can't truly imagine living in a house without them though.

Sun's out, guns out. *shrugs*
 
Not having read this entire thread, suffice it to say that if you are in an urban area, there are laws and regulations against the use of firearms. If you are in the country, then most jurisdictions allow you to kill any animal on your property that is a threat to you or your livestock.

If you are unsure, then call your local animal control office to see what your rights and regulations are. If you can use a gun, use it, if you can't, then animal control needs to come out and trap or kill it for you.

Assuming that all is well in the world and you can legally shoot whatever you like, then I'd recommend the shotgun, as it will have the best chance of subduing the animal if your aim isn't quite up to snuff, without putting others in jeopardy outside of a 40 foot range. One word of warning, the carnage from a shotgun isn't pretty, and if you only wing the damn thing, you'll have to finish it off at closer range, preferably point blank so as to minimize suffering.
 
'round these parts I'd recommend .243 @1500 yards for safety. This round would do nicely.

With 95 grains leaving the muzzle at over 3000fps it is very humane. The target won't ever hear the shot. If you want to give the poor critter a sporting chance stand off 2000 yards with a V-max. It's only 58 grains but a nearly 4000fps it gets there yesterday, and no need to adjust for elevation. Just guess where he will be a second and a half from now.
 
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I've never had kangaroo. Venison and gator but not that. What is it most like?

I really like it. Took me a while to get the hang of cooking it because I was too timid about searing the sides, but now I can do a pretty good job of it. Very red, very lean. I understand it tastes a bit like venison but it's been so long since I had venison, I couldn't really say.

Also pretty eco-friendly as meat goes; roos are a lot less damaging to the land than cattle.

Good job getting rid of the damn varmit, rabies or not. For those who don't know - rabies is one of the few things that's considered 100% lethal, 100% of the time. You don't "get rabies," "get shots," and "get better." You basically "get rabies" and then you die, horribly. Here's a very interesting story about it:
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/19/157049292/terrible-virus-fascinating-history-in-rabid

One of the few cases in all of human history of rabies being "cured." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4186205

Waiting until symptoms develop is usually too late, but post-exposure vaccination is pretty effective. The people who die of rabies in first-world countries are mostly the ones who didn't realise they'd been exposed and didn't get their shots in time.

The Milwaukee protocol (the treatment in that NPR article) seems to give about a 10% survival rate for symptomatic rabies, which is still horribly low but better than nothing.
 
"...You just stand there, looking cute
And if something moves, you shoot!
There's ten stuffed heads in my trophy room right now
Seven hunters, two game wardens, and a cow."
--T. Lehrer
 
I thought I would update this thread I started. This has been a very educational experience.

It turns out that I should have called the Health Department from the start. Thanks to jehoram for that suggestion. In Florida, what Animal Control handles varies by county.

It is likely the animal was rabid. A raccoon being out in broad daylight is odd enough, but one that walks funny, is not afraid of humans, and angry is very likely rabid. I learned that here in Florida, all raccoons are considered rabid unless proven otherwise.

Rabies is highly contagious through contact and it can quickly spread to family pets, which then threatens to spread it to people. If the animal is not disposed of properly (alive or dead), the rabies can be spread to any animals that come into contact with it. So, it is a really bad idea to let a suspect animal run free. The guys who came out here to recover the dead animal were very complimentary of how I handled the situation.

If I understood what I was told - there's been a lot of information coming my way lately - it is against the law to trap and relocate raccoons in our state. We don't have a trap so that was never an option. I could have buried the dead carcass, but they told me it would have to be wrapped in double plastic bags and buried at least four feet deep or something. Four feet? Not this girl, and certainly not in 100 degree heat. I didn't want to have to handle a gun - I don't like them, but that was easy.

It has been a very interesting ~ 24 hours. Not the kind of interesting I prefer, but interesting, nonetheless.

Thanks to everyone who commented. I appreciate all your suggestions.
 
I thought I would update this thread I started. This has been a very educational experience.

It turns out that I should have called the Health Department from the start. Thanks to jehoram for that suggestion. In Florida, what Animal Control handles varies by county.

It is likely the animal was rabid. A raccoon being out in broad daylight is odd enough, but one that walks funny, is not afraid of humans, and angry is very likely rabid. I learned that here in Florida, all raccoons are considered rabid unless proven otherwise.

Rabies is highly contagious through contact and it can quickly spread to family pets, which then threatens to spread it to people. If the animal is not disposed of properly (alive or dead), the rabies can be spread to any animals that come into contact with it. So, it is a really bad idea to let a suspect animal run free. The guys who came out here to recover the dead animal were very complimentary of how I handled the situation.

If I understood what I was told - there's been a lot of information coming my way lately - it is against the law to trap and relocate raccoons in our state. We don't have a trap so that was never an option. I could have buried the dead carcass, but they told me it would have to be wrapped in double plastic bags and buried at least four feet deep or something. Four feet? Not this girl, and certainly not in 100 degree heat. I didn't want to have to handle a gun - I don't like them, but that was easy.

It has been a very interesting ~ 24 hours. Not the kind of interesting I prefer, but interesting, nonetheless.

Thanks to everyone who commented. I appreciate all your suggestions.

The other give away on raccoons - if you see them 'dancing' - that is probably the best description - broad daylight, no fear of being in the open, moving erratically.

You can wait for the animal control department - but then you take the risk of a small child or someones dog getting bit. If you can safely take the shot - then wait for animal control - that's my suggestion. You are likely saving not yourself but maybe someone else a lot of grief and pain.

The animal can't be saved at that point - once rabies has taken over the CNS death is certain. You are providing a mercy.
 
It is likely the animal was rabid. A raccoon being out in broad daylight is odd enough, but one that walks funny, is not afraid of humans, and angry is very likely rabid. I learned that here in Florida, all raccoons are considered rabid unless proven otherwise.

Rabies is highly contagious through contact and it can quickly spread to family pets, which then threatens to spread it to people. If the animal is not disposed of properly (alive or dead), the rabies can be spread to any animals that come into contact with it. So, it is a really bad idea to let a suspect animal run free. The guys who came out here to recover the dead animal were very complimentary of how I handled the situation.

If I understood what I was told - there's been a lot of information coming my way lately - it is against the law to trap and relocate raccoons in our state. We don't have a trap so that was never an option. I could have buried the dead carcass, but they told me it would have to be wrapped in double plastic bags and buried at least four feet deep or something. Four feet? Not this girl, and certainly not in 100 degree heat. I didn't want to have to handle a gun - I don't like them, but that was easy.

A bit of snippage there, sorry, meant for brevity (mine not yours)

A raccoon out by day this time of year may just be foraging because she has a litter, that can make them a bit aggressive as well. It's uncommon but it happens more than some people realize. In that case they back off when you do though. That funny walk and looking overall sick is a giveaway of a sick animal however.
Burying it was never a good idea IMO. Getting it deep enough (4 feet would be about right if it were wrapped in plastic) so that some scavenging animal didn't scent it and dig it up is the trouble with that. You don't want them dining on Rocky there, even after he's been sitting a while.

Some folks have said it but Good for you. That was a tough one so you must be some lady to have pulled it off.

A bit of advice for people like me and you who live out where animals are common--
Find out in advance who to call when one shows up that's a problem. It saves all kinds of headache if you aren't scrambling for info
 
My husband keeps a loaded shotgun in one of our closets. I checked it out with the animal control guy on the phone. It is a 20 gauge and it has 1 size shot shells in it. He said that would be perfect. Must have been, because that raccoon didn't move a bit after I shot. Thank goodness for that.

But CRAP! That sucker was LOUD!


That would be just about perfect. Killed a beaver once with the same combination that was flooding an area.
 
I thought I would update this thread I started. This has been a very educational experience...

I did not mention it earlier, but I hope you were doted on by your man when he returned. For at least five minutes atleast!
If not, I owe you a fist bump & mint julep for how you handled things.

I grew up in a half suburban, half rural area (block away from a strip mall, and on the other side of the high school were cornfields). Three times at my parents house we had to deal with "dancing raccoons" (an excellent way to put it). All were Diphtheria instead of Rabies, but it's not something you want to chance. I only mention my personal anecdote just to put your mind at ease just a bit. I believe the ratio is close to 100:1 Diphtheria:Rabies.

But it is one of the few times you do not want to be a 1%'er!

:D
 
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