Maybe it’s the high price of real estate. Or evidence that Montclair is becoming less hospitable to its wildlife. No matter the reason, one raccoon had enough and stowed away on a Decamp charter bus. From the Daily News:
“Oh, man, it scared me,” said Decamp driver Winford Bellamy, 57, who spotted the masked bandit while driving drove down 11th Ave. near W. 51st St.
“I looked in my mirror, and saw him just walking up the aisle to the front of the bus,” Bellamy said.
The 2-foot female raccoon came strolling down the aisle minutes after Bellamy dropped off his 50 passengers, a group of Montclair State University students, at a firehouse on W. 51st St.
Immediately after seeing the raccoon, the shocked driver pulled up alongside a police car. “Man, I got an animal in this bus,” he told a cop.
The officer instructed Bellamy to turn on 40th St. and get out of the bus. By the time NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers arrived, the raccoon was clinging to the curtains above the bus’ door.
Officer Brian Glacken, 30, opened the driver-side window and hit the normally nocturnal animal with a tranquilizer dart. The dazed raccoon was collared moments later.
The raccoon was transported to the Animal Care and Control Center on E. 110th St., where it was euthanized so it can be tested for rabies.
he had enough of pools without life guards-coyotes in the parks-his laptop burgled-couldn’t afford the collander-depressed his favorite toy store had closed-
figured he’d take his chances in the city–he never saw it coming- poor “Rocky”- his day ended in tragedy.
Before anyone gets too upset about the fact the raccoon was euthanized, that is the only way they can test for rabies. Too bad such a wacky, funny story had to have an unhappy ending, but luckily none of the students or the driver was bitten. I have read that a large percentage of raccoons in this area are rabid. Please, don’t feed them! Or invite them to New York for lunch.
I would suggest that if the raccoon chose DeCamp on which to make his get away, he’s obviously in no hurry to get into the city. His return trip will be even more frustrating. God forbid should he actually have to ask a driver or a ticket agent at the Port Authority for directions!
Sorry, now I realize there will be no return trip for the poor fella!
I would suggest that if the raccoon chose DeCamp on which to make his get away, he’s obviously in no hurry to get into the city
lol!
“Before anyone gets too upset about the fact the raccoon was euthanized, that is the only way they can test for rabies.”
Or it could be kept under observation for a period of two weeks and then taken to a zoo or similar facility if it is found to be healthy. But I guess its easier and less costly to kill it and then spend money to find out if it was rabid or not.
Maybe the raccoon decided to sell out to a developer of condominiums for deer.
As politically incorrect as this sounds, people take rabies way too far. A couple years ago in high school, a bunch of us had to get rabies shots because the school found out that there had momentarily been a bat in our cabin during a trip. I assume that we would have known if we had been bitten.
– Jersey Perspective
Seems as though the DeCamp driver provided better customer service to the raccoon than that experienced by regular DeCamp commuters!
Why did they need to test it for rabies if he didn’t bite anyone?
Todd. That was hysterical and oh so true!
“As politically incorrect as this sounds, people take rabies way too far.”
Not only politically incorrect, but highly irresponsible.
According to the World Health Organization
“Once symptoms of the disease develop, rabies is FATAL (emphasis mine) to both animals and humans.
….
The most effective mechanism of protection against rabies is to wash and flush a wound or point of contact with soap and water, detergent or plain water, followed by the application of ethanol, tincture or aqueous solution of iodine. Anti-rabies vaccine should be given for Category II1 and III2 exposures as soon as possible according to WHO recognized regimens.”
https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs099/en/
These categories include any nibbling, licking of broken skin, cuts or abrasions without bleeding as well as actual bites.
Rabies is a horrible way to die. If you think that you or someone you know has come in contact with it, seek help immediately.
i don’t understand why he couldn’t have just pulled the bus over, got out and left the door open. do you really think rocky would rather be on a bus than in a tree?
why after all of this time isn’t there a test to determine rabies without killing animals or subjecting humans to a painful series of injections?
If the raccoon WAS rabid, it might have attacked the driver so I think he did do the right thing.
Raccoons can live for years with the rabies virus without showing any symptoms, so it wouldn’t make sense to just quarantine the animal for observation. Check out the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services web site at https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/rabies.htm. – the rabid raccoon problem in our area isn’t trivial.
“If the raccoon WAS rabid, it might have attacked the driver so I think he did do the right thing.”
Very true Miss M. He also would have been letting a rabid animal loose in the middle of a city.
That’s right, Bitpusher. We already have one. His name is Freddy Ferrar.
What the heck was the DeCamp bus doing on 51st Street???? That is an indirect route to Montclair….
‘Twas a charter, not a commuter run.
okay- after all the Hype-it’s 3:20 pm and just returned home from a walk in Anderson Park where what did i see– a real live Rabbid Rocky Raccoon walking through a park fairly filled with teenagers, toddlers, dogs, and the greyer walking set–
From North Mountain it walked all the way across to the stream (maybe to hop on a train)-and boy did it look sick–I phoned the locals who told me they would contact Animal Control.
I guess we do have a problem–and rabies is a horror—watch your dogs–people–