Raccoon attacks infant inside his Idaho home

A raccoon attacked an infant inside an Idaho home this week as the baby boy was in a carrier, the state wildlife department said Friday.

The incident happened Monday in Cassia County after the infant’s mother had just returned home, Idaho Fish and Game said in a statement.

The mother heard a noise, investigated and found the animal, it said.

“The mother found a raccoon attacking her infant. She was able to grab the animal to stop the attack,” the department said.

The child’s father and a Cassia County sheriff’s deputy went to the home, found the raccoon still inside and they killed the animal, Fish and Game said.

The baby was taken to a local hospital, and was then sent to a hospital in Salt Lake City, the department said.

The dead raccoon tested negative for rabies, the agency said. It’s unclear how it got into the home.

Raccoon attacks against humans are “extremely rare,” it said. The animals are usually shy.

Raccoons can weigh about 12 to 30 pounds and are about three feet long, according to the department.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com