Skunk With Rabies Attacks Child During Family Party In Massachusetts

A female toddler in Massachusetts was attacked by a skunk with rabies in her home’s backyard before the skunk was killed by responding firefighters.

Fatima Bennette, 2, was attacked by the skunk Monday night while playing in her family’s yard during a barbecue in Weymouth, Massachusetts. The skunk first attempted to attack the girl's grandmother Betty Bennette. It then shifted and ran for the younger Bennette, biting her in the leg.

“Her mother swooped in and grabbed her,” Betty Bennette told the Boston Globe. “The skunk was dangling from the baby’s legs. She was screaming, they were both screaming, I was screaming. [Fatima's mother] kept kicking at it and hitting it until it finally dropped.”

The family ran back inside the house and called 911 while the skunk remained in the backyard. Weymouth firefighters were the first to respond and began fighting the animal off. They tried to make it run off but decided to put the skunk down when it wouldn’t retreat from the yard.

“They proceeded to use a log to try to stop it,” Bennette said. “Eventually they got it with a shovel and killed it. It was traumatic.”

Fatima Bennette was taken to South Shore Hospital for treatment for the bite and scratches on her legs and hand. She also received the first of four required treatments for rabies after Weymouth Animal Control confirmed the skunk carried the disease.