December 22, 2017
A baby is recovering after a raccoon reportedly mauled her inside a North Philadelphia home earlier this week.
6ABC reports the attack happened Wednesday inside the family's first floor apartment on the 2100 block of North 22nd Street. Ashley Rodgers, mother of 4-month-old Journi Blake Rodgers, told the news station it happened around 8:30 p.m. when she heard her baby crying and screaming.
She saw a raccoon run down the stairs, and went upstairs to find Journi bloodied and scratched up on the floor, according to CBS3.
Animal control officers set a trap for the raccoon, but the damage was already done, as doctors said it would take Journi at least a year to recover, CBS3 reports.
The baby received 64 stitches during surgery and got a rabies shot, and she now in fair condition, according to 6ABC.
A spokesperson for Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections told CBS3 that the property does not have a rental license and should not be renting rooms.
Rodgers said she told the landlord about the raccoon when she previously spotted the animal. She said she intends to pursue legal action against the landlord.
