The scariest animal I ever confronted as a cop

Early Tuesday morning, a police officer shot and killed a mountain lion in downtown Salt Lake City. Witnesses said the animal charged, forcing the officer to defend himself and others.

I don't know all the facts of the matter (and odds are, neither do you),but from what I read I probably would have shot the animal as well. Or tried to.

Note: A gun might not have done me any good. Mountain lions are scary, especially when up close and pissed off. It's damn hard to aim while going to the bathroom in one's pants.

During my time as a cop, I probably shot a hundred animals. Most of them were injured by traffic; lots of deer, but also a few dogs, a couple of elk and a bunch of cows.

Oh, and about 500 carp (ammo testing at the lake), which I don't really count because that's why God made them.

All of my animal killing was 20 to 30 years ago, long before they started sending ambulances and get-well cards to injured cats.

The scariest animal I ever confronted as a cop wasn't a mountain lion, a bear, wolves, Big Foot or some other apex predator, of which there are plenty in Utah.

If I had seen any of these, I believe the sensible thing to do would have been to remain in the patrol car with the windows rolled up.

If the animal approached within 200 yards, I would flee with all emergency equipment activated. It's what we in the business referred to as "Code3-Romeo" or "lights and siren retreat."

But that's just me. As a personal rule, I do not get close to animals large enough to have their way with me, especially the kind with claws and pointy teeth.

Back to the scariest animal I ever confronted during my law enforcement career. You'll laugh, I know, but I'm not kidding. We're talking serious evil.

Raccoons. I HATED the sons-of-[w]itches. Still do, in fact. And before you start that noise about range encroachment by humans, understand that raccoons are not indigenous to Utah. In short, WE were here first. They're the ones doing the habitat encroaching.

Unlike dogs and a cow, no raccoon ever bit me. None even attacked me. But that didn't make them any less scary or infuriating.

One night I got a call of a burglary in progress. When I arrived, the terrified woman insisted there was someone, possibly even a serial killer, in her basement. I heard the noise, too, so something was down there.

I went down the stairs hand on gun. When a raccoon popped up and screeched, I almost shot it. It tore around the room trying to get out. I considered hitting it with a chair but the woman said it was an antique.

Eventually, the raccoon left of its own accord the same way it got in — through a pet door.

Things like this kept happening. A raccoon in a tree once touched the top of my head while I breathlessly waited in the shadows for burglary suspect to exit a business. I was blind (and incontinent) for two days.

Then there was the "unknown disturbance" call with blood all over a driveway. What appeared to be a homicide scene turned out to be wiener dog who picked (and lost) a fight with a raccoon.

Add in the number of "shots fired" calls I rolled on (because residents fed up with raccoons sorting through their garbage decided to take matters into their own hands with a deer rifle), and you can see why raccoons have shaved years off the end of my life.

I don't know about the officer who shot the mountain lion, but I do know that any raccoon I see now will definitely be interpreted as charging at me.

Watch out for rabid bats and animals

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) wants people to beware of rabid animals, including bats, as they become more active this time of year. To date, more than a dozen rabid bats have been reported in Illinois this year.

"Most cases of rabies in Illinois are almost always found in bats," said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. "You can't tell just by looking at a bat if it has rabies so it's important to avoid handling bats and to make sure your home has no openings where bats can come in."

Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system. People can get rabies after being bitten by an infected animal. Rabies can also be contracted when saliva from a rabid animal gets directly into a person's eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound. People usually know when they have been bitten by a bat, but bats have very small teeth and the bite mark may not be easy to see.

If you find yourself in close proximity to a bat and are not sure if you were exposed, for example, you wake up and find a bat in your room, do not kill or release the bat before calling your doctor or local health department to help determine if you could have been exposed to rabies and need preventive treatment. If the bat is available for testing and test results are negative, preventive treatment is not needed.

The early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to that of many other illnesses, including fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, and hallucinations. Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms. If you have been bitten by any animal, seek immediate medical attention. Rabies preventive treatment, if needed, must begin quickly.

An animal does not have to be aggressive or exhibit other symptoms to have rabies. Changes in any animal's normal behavior can be early signs of rabies. A bat that is active during the day, found on the ground, or is unable to fly is more likely than others to be rabid. Such bats are often easily approached, but should never be handled.

The following tips can help prevent the spread of rabies:

-Keep vaccinations up-to-date for all dogs, cats, ferrets, and other animals you own. If your pet is exposed to a rabid animal, contact your veterinarian
-Do not touch, feed, or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
-Never adopt wild animals or bring them into your home. Do not try to nurse sick, wild animals to health. Call animal control or an animal rescue agency for assistance.
-Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly. "Love your own, leave other animals alone" is a good principle for children to learn to reduce the risk of exposures to rabid animals.
-Maintain homes and other buildings so bats cannot get inside.
-If a bat is in your home, do not release the bat outdoors until after speaking with animal control or public health officials.

After consulting with animal control or public health officials, you may need to capture the bat for rabies testing to determine if you need preventive treatment.

Steps you can take to capture the bat are:

-When the bat lands, approach it slowly, while wearing gloves, and place a box or coffee can over it.
-Slide a piece of cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside.
-Tape the cardboard to the container securely, and punch small holes in the cardboard, allowing the bat to breathe.