Bobcat on the loose in Georgia mauls two kids and two dogs

Publish date: 2024-08-10

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An unusually aggressive bobcat has attacked two children and two dogs in northeast Georgia — and officials warn the wild animal may still be in the area.

The separate attacks on the kids happened within a half hour of each other around 6:30 pm Friday in Winterville, a rural community just east of Athens.

One of the victims, a three-year-old girl named Crystal, was playing outside her house when the cat pounced, her shaken family told WSB-TV.

“The cat was dragging her up under the car,” Crystal’s grandfather, Michael Scoggins, said. “My daughter came out and grabbed the baby just as soon as she got there.”

Their family dog also helped with the rescue.

“She just dropped down on the ground and I saw my dog and a bob cat run out from under the car,” Mae Scoggins, 13, said.

Crystal was left with a deep bite wound and broken bones in her hand, the family said, along with claw marks across her body. She was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Crystal, 3, was left bloodied by the attack but was in high spirits after being taken to a hospital

“It could have been worse. If it wasn’t for our dog, the cat might have gotten up to her neck,” Scoggins said, referring to bobcats’ preferred method of killing by biting its prey at the neck.

The family estimated the cat to be about 50 pounds. Minutes later, a teenage boy was attacked by the rogue cat, according to Oglethorpe County EMS.

“Oglethorpe is a rural county. Any animal that is native to Georgia, there is a possibility that it lives here,” Oglethorpe County EMS spokesperson Jason Lewis told WAGA-TV.

Officials said it was extremely rare for bobcats to attack humans. Crystal’s father estimate the animal to be 50 pounds Getty Images/iStockphoto
The attack on Crystal happened outside of her home in Winterville, a rural community just east of Athens, Georgia WSB-TV

“But in my 27-year career, I have never known a bobcat attack.”

Officials said the children received rabies treatment to be safe.

The dogs were attacked in the same area the night before, according to Oglethorpe County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Cody Gibbs.

“We suspect it’s the same animal that attacked all of them,” Gibbs told USA Today.

“Definitely a strange set of circumstances.”

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