Rockland County Animal Control Officer receives shots after being bitten by rabid raccoon

NEW YORK -- A Rockland County animal control officer has tested positive for rabies after being bit by a raccoon.

Pat Coleman, who works for the Clarkstown police department, was  bitten on the left leg Tuesday near Maple Avenue in New City.

The raccoon lunged at her in the parking lot of the police station and Coleman later captured the creature, police said.

“She was able to get back into her vehicle and grab her animal pole and at that point walked across the street, following the raccoon, she was able to secure the raccoon using the pole,” Officer Peter Walker told 1010 WINS.

Coleman is being treated with a series of vaccinations. She has returned to work, Walker said.

People who are bitten by an animal that could be rabid need to receive a series of shots starting on the day of exposure. The vaccinations are given in a muscle, usually the upper arm, and are effective at preventing rabies, a fatal disease that spreads through the bite or saliva of an infected animal.

Police Chief Michael Sullivan told the Journal News that Coleman is doing fine.

"Rabies continues to be a serious public health problem in Rockland County," County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Ruppert said in a statement.
Coleman has been an animal control officer for over three deca
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(CBS New York - April 17, 2015)