Bobcat attack leaves Ga. 3-year-old hospitalized with broken bones, deep wounds

OGLETHORPE COUNTY, Ga. — North Georgia officials are warning the public to be on the lookout after a bobcat attack.

Oglethorpe County Fire and Rescue officials said on Friday at 6:30 p.m., crews received reports of an aggressive bobcat in the area of Melton Road and Williams McCurley Road in Winterville.

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According to the investigation, the bobcat attacked children on two different properties.

Channel 2′s Tom Regan was in Oglethorpe County Monday, where he talked to a man whose 3-year-old granddaughter was one of the victims.

Michael Scoggins said his wife called him in hysterics Friday night to tell him their granddaughter, Crystal, had been mauled by a bobcat in the front yard while the children were outside playing.

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

Mae Scoggins, 13, is the child’s aunt. She said her sister ran out of the house to save the toddler.

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

Scoggins said he believe the bobcat was 40 to 50 pounds.

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A short time later, the same bobcat attacked a teenage boy outside a home nearby. Fire and Rescue rushed to the scene of both attacks.

“There were scratch marks on them. There were bite marks on them,” Beaverdam Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jay Post said.

Scoggins said the bobcat left his granddaughter with serious injuries.

“She had a big bite, a laceration on her hand,” Scoggins said. “A fractured bone. A bite in the back. Claw marks all around her waist. Her shift was just full of holes where the cat got it.’

Scoggins said he thinks the bobcat must be rabid. It’s unusual for them to go after people.

“The cat was rabid,” he said. “Bobcats don’t attack in broad daylight.”

Scoggins also credits his daughters and dog for coming to the rescue.

“It could have been worse,” Scoggins said. “If it wasn’t for our dog, the cat might have gotten up to her neck.”

A GoFundMe has been created to help with Crystal’s recovery.

Both the children who were attacked had to get rabies vaccine shots. The bobcat still has not been caught.

Authorities advised residents living in the area to be mindful of their surroundings and to keep a close eye on their children when they are outside.

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