CANTON, Ga. — Health Department officials are advising caution to people in Cherokee County after a bicyclist was bitten by a raccoon on Wednesday - the second such incident in roughly a day's time.
The latest incident happened on the Blankets Creek Mountain Bike Trail on Sixes Road in Canton, according to the North Georgia Health District. The agency said the biker was in the Dwelling Loop section of the trail around 4 p.m. when he stopped to feed a raccoon he thought was injured.
"The raccoon bit down on the bicyclist's hand, but because the man wore bike gloves, there was no puncture to his skin or nails. He was checked out at Northside Cherokee Hospital and emergency room attendants found he didn't need further treatment.
However, it's unclear if the raccoon was rabid since the animal was never submitted for testing. Meanwhile, Cherokee County Environmental Health officials are in contact with the bicyclist and are working with trail maintenance crews to put up warning signs in the area.
A day earlier, another raccoon is believed to have attacked and bit a person in the River Chase Drive area of Woodstock.
"The behavior of the raccoon indicated a strong probability it is rabid," the health department said.
It also wasn't caught so health officials canvassed the area with a printed advisory. Authorities consider the two attacks unrelated.
Followed the two cases, health officials are now warning the public to avoid all unfamiliar animals - especially in the wild. Residents should also make sure their pets are up-to-date on their rabies shots.
