95-year-old Toronto woman on morning walk withstands ‘monster’ raccoon attack | 24CA News

Not a lot can cease 95-year-old Merrijoy Kelner from getting outdoors for her morning stroll⁠ — not even a savage raccoon assault. 

On Jan. 31, Kelner contemplated staying in attributable to chilly climate, however she’s dedicated to getting in 7,000 steps a day. So she bundled up, grabbed her strolling sticks and headed towards Taddle Creek Park in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. 

She was about midway by means of the park when a raccoon ran as much as her, connected itself to her left leg and started viciously biting her.

“I was stunned. I really didn’t even know what kind of animal it was,” Kelner advised CBC Toronto this week whereas sitting on a bench within the park. 

“I should have attacked it with my sticks but I was so stunned I didn’t think of that and it kept on biting me.”

A person got here up from behind her and forcefully eliminated the animal from her leg, she mentioned. By that point, a small crowd had gathered. 

Raccoon acted unusual, witness says

Nearby resident Sarah Potts noticed the raccoon as she was strolling to work. After noticing it did not look nicely, she stored her eye on it when Kelner was passing.

“The raccoon approaches [Kelner] and I thought ‘uh oh,'” she advised CBC. “Then it gets up on its haunches and it bites her.”

Potts mentioned the raccoon then went utterly feral, operating onto the highway and biting close by automobiles. 

“I felt so bad for him, I felt more bad for [Kelner],” Potts mentioned.

Before Kelner was bitten, crossing guard Susan Mcilroy had already known as the town to report the raccoon’s unusual behaviour. 

Still, she was shocked when she noticed a person kick it. 

“I thought, ‘Why would he do that?'” mentioned Mcilroy. “Then I saw it came right back and that’s when I knew [Kelner was] in trouble.”

When animal providers staff arrived, Mcilory mentioned they captured the raccoon and took it away for testing.

Here I’m out for a stroll, this good little candy outdated woman. Suddenly, I’m attacked by this monster. It’s such a weird story.– Merrijoy Kelner, 95.

In the meantime, after a lot protest, Kelner was taken to the emergency division by ambulance. Later, she acquired a shot of the rabies vaccine in all 5 chunk wounds.

“One bite was particularly deep, the others weren’t too bad,” mentioned Kelner.

The subsequent day animal providers advised her she wouldn’t want additional therapy because the raccoon didn’t check optimistic for rabies, she mentioned. 

Since then, Kelner mentioned she has healed fairly nicely.

“I am grateful I am healthy and I am able to withstand these kinds of attacks,” she mentioned with a chuckle. 

“I just thought it’s a joke, really. Here I am out for a stroll, this nice little sweet old lady, suddenly I am attacked by this monster. It’s such a bizarre story.”

42 raccoon exposures reported this yr: TPH

Toronto Public Health TPH mentioned between Jan. 1 and March 8 of this yr, it is acquired and investigated 42 studies of raccoon exposures, in comparison with a mean of 12 studies acquired throughout the identical time interval in every of the final 5 years.

However, Toronto Animal Services (TAS) mentioned there has not been a rise in service requests for sick or injured raccoons within the downtown core.

TAS mentioned one of many potential causes behind the raccoon’s behaviour may very well be a viral illness known as distemper, which can trigger raccoons to strategy folks, act torpid or disoriented, and be aggressive if cornered. Distemper assaults the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous system and is commonly deadly, TAS mentioned.

Despite the ordeal, it hasn’t stopped Kelner from getting her steps in. 

“[She is] so brave,” mentioned Mcilory. “Everyone was so worried she will be traumatized, she will never come out again and there [she was].”