Australia, October 06: An elderly woman who was attacked by a gang of five raccoons may need skin grafts to repair her injuries.
Gretchen Whitted of Lakeland, Florida, was mauled by the raccoons after she tried to shoo them away from her front door on the weekend.
The gang turned on her, biting the 74-year-old’s neck, chest, legs, head and back. They continued attacking her after she fell to the ground, The Ledger reported.
Neighbours, who called police after hearing Mrs Whitted’s screams, said there was blood everywhere.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said: “We’re not talking about a lot of little bites here.
“She was filleted.”
Mrs Whitted was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Centre’s trauma unit where she remains in a stable condition. She is receiving rabies vaccinations, The Ledger reported.
Her daughter, Lisa Bilik, said her mother was improving.
“She’s getting a little bit better,” she said.
“She’s looking good.”
Mrs Bilik said doctors were holding off on the skin grafts at the moment, but they may be needed for the most severe injuries to her mother’s legs.
Local police, who said they had never heard of raccoons attacking humans in the area, were responding to the incident with “full force”.
Sixteen traps have been set and baited with cat food and sardines in an attempt to catch the gang, but deputies who are checking the traps every hour have so far come away empty handed.
—Agencies