Raccoon leaves two injured at Hersheypark opening day

HERSHEY, Pa - It was opening day at Hersheypark, and some people got the surprise of their life while waiting in line for the SooperDooperLooper ride.

In a video obtained by TMZ, the scared raccoon can be seen scurrying its way in and out of the long lines while some onlookers were heard screaming. At one point, a young girl's shoe was removed by the animal. In all of the commotion, two people suffered minor injuries consistent with scratches and were taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.

Stock image

In an interview obtained by USA Today, the Park's Director of Public Relations, Quinn Bryner, confirmed the chaotic event did take place on March 29th (opening day).

“As a park with a long and established history, guest safety is and will always be our top priority at Hersheypark,” Bryner said. “As such, we have a full complement of public safety and health professionals on property who responded quickly to render necessary care to the two people impacted.”

The Park does have extensive fencing to help prevent occurrences such as this, Bryner said. Apparently, this is the first-ever wild animal attack in the Park.

Wild animal attacks in North America are generally rare occurrences, and a majority involve bites from domesticated animals rather than from wild ones. Worldwide statistics on human/wild animal encounters offer further insight into the broader discussion.

Generally, the advice has always been to respect wildlife from afar, if at all possible. Unfortunately, at least for these ride-goers, that's not possible when the wildlife appears at your feet.

#raccoon #wildlife #hersheypark