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Rabies concerns condemn family’s pet raccoon

VALPARAISO, Neb. (AP) — Concerns about rabies have condemned an eastern Nebraska family’s pet raccoon.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the mother of Matt Klabenes’ 9-year-old daughter reported Monday to the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office that the girl had been bitten by the raccoon while she was staying at his Valparaiso home over the weekend.

Six-month-old Charlie must be euthanized to take samples of his brain matter for the rabies test. Klabenes says Charlie bit him several weeks ago, but Klabenes hasn’t shown any symptoms of the deadly disease. Nonetheless, Klabenes says, the threat of rabies regarding his daughter is too real to ignore.

Charlie’s been living with the Klabenes family since Klabenes found him alone in the cab of a pickup, barely a week old.

Klabenes says his family is considering adopting another raccoon after going through the permit process for captive wildlife.

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