Camp counsellors attacked by rabid bobcat in Connecticut
Three camp counsellors in Connecticut were injured in an attack by a rabid bobcat this weekend.
The three adults were leading a group of nine youth campers at the Selden Neck State Park in Lyme on Friday.
The attack took place around 2am when one of the counsellors was sleeping in a hammock, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection told FOX 61.
“The man, and two additional adults, subsequently killed the bobcat,” Deep River Fire Department Chief Tim Lee said.
The bobcat tested positive for rabies at a state public health laboratory, according to the New York Times.
The adults and children were transported by boat to Deep River town by fire officials following the incident.
Emergency services from the neighbouring towns of Essex, Lyme and Valley Shore were requested
The three adults who came into contact with the bobcat were treated at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown.
“We’re out in the woods, we talk about the various things that can go on in the woods, different scenarios that can happen. Our instructors all go out with a wilderness first responder certificate,” supervisor Scott Basile told Fox.
The three adult counsellors and nine minors were transported to Deep River town by fire officials after they encountered a rabid bobcat in the early morning hours of Friday.
(Deep River Fire Department)
The camp trip was part of a state-funded Wilderness School program, which provides expeditions to individuals ages 13-21 who have been in the foster care system. According to the website, the program has “a prevention, intervention and transition” focus.
“Due to [the counsellors’] courageous and outstanding efforts, the safety of the youth was maintained, and they were not harmed,” a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families’ Wilderness School told CNN.
No minors were injured during the attack.
