This Young Woman Overpowered a Rabid Raccoon with Just Her Hands—What Did You Accomplish Today?

You know those days when you feel a sense of accomplishment because you woke up on time, got dressed, dropped the kids off at school, went for a jog, single-handedly subdued a rabid raccoon, and then enjoyed a nutritious dinner with the family? No? I get it—the raccoon part is a bit much. But that’s exactly what one woman from Maine did when she faced a terrifying encounter on a local trail.

Meet Sarah Lane

Sarah Lane, a 21-year-old, went for a jog on June 2nd in her hometown of Hope, Maine (and let’s hope you don’t run into a rabid raccoon there). It was a beautiful day, and Sarah was enjoying her run when, as reported by the Bangor Daily News, she was suddenly confronted by a rabid raccoon that she would later find a way to overpower with her bare hands. Had she known what was coming, she might have opted for pants or at least brought along a sturdy stick—or simply skipped the jog altogether.

According to Sarah, the raccoon blocked her path, showing its teeth and “bounding” toward her, a term that sounds far more ominous than simply “running.” She immediately recognized the animal as rabid and began to move around it in a panic. “It felt like the Tasmanian devil,” she recounted. Agreed, that sounds terrifying.

The Encounter

Realizing she couldn’t outrun the creature, Sarah decided the best course of action was to grab it and hold it down. And that’s exactly what she did. The raccoon bit down on her thumb, scratching her fiercely in the process. In the midst of the struggle, she spotted her cellphone on the ground, submerged in a puddle after being dropped during the chaos. In a moment of survival instinct, she had a brilliant idea: instead of continuing to wrestle with it, she would try to drown the raccoon.

She dragged it over to the puddle and, with her thumb still trapped in the animal’s mouth, she pressed its head under the water. After a while, the raccoon ceased its struggles: “Its limbs just fell to the side, and its breathing slowed.” This was Sarah’s cue to make a quick escape. She kicked off her drenched sneakers and sprinted three-quarters of a mile back home, where her mother promptly took her to the hospital. Meanwhile, her father collected the deceased raccoon and delivered it to the Maine Center for Disease Control, where it tested positive for rabies.

Aftermath and Reflections

Sarah is now nearing the end of a series of seven rabies shots, a necessary precaution as rabies is fatal without treatment, as noted by local animal control officer, Lucy Stone. She also issued a warning to community members: “Not to frighten anyone, but when there’s one rabid animal, there’s usually more.” (Tip for those living in Maine: check out “indoor activities for kids” and “staycation ideas to enjoy at home.”)

Reflecting on her harrowing experience, Sarah expressed disbelief at her own survival tactics: “If it weren’t for that puddle, I don’t know what I would have done. It was just sheer luck. I’ve never harmed an animal before; I’m a vegetarian. It was truly self-defense.”

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Summary

In a surprising turn of events, Sarah Lane, a 21-year-old from Hope, Maine, had to fight off a rabid raccoon while jogging. After realizing she couldn’t outrun it, she cleverly opted to drown the creature in a puddle. Following the incident, she received necessary rabies treatments, highlighting the importance of awareness regarding rabid animals in the area.