Raccoon attack is considerably rare as they are wild animals. Most of the time, raccoons will flee if they encounter with humans. However, they are perfectly capable to attack humans to defend themselves if they feel threatened. Even if the raccoon is made as a domestic pet, it can somehow behave aggressively towards its human companion. This is exactly what happened to Charlotte Ponce who was attacked by a raccoon when she was just a baby.
Charlotte made headlines around the world when half of her face was chewed off by a pet raccoon. She was just 3 months old when the wild mammal attacked her in her crib.
The raccoon went aggressive and chewed Charlotte’s nose, right ear and half of her lips
Adorable image of baby Charlotte before she got attacked by the raccoon
The horrible incident started off when baby Charlotte was left alone by her then 18-year-old mother and 23-year-old father in their home.
The raccoon was assumed to have escaped from its cage through a door that was left opened and made its way to her crib
The attack has left Charlotte with severe injuries around her face. Her biological parents later lost their custody of Charlotte and her older brother, Marshall who was 15 months old to their great-aunt and uncle, Sharon and Tim Ponce.
Sharon and Tim adopted the children after they heard the attack on the TV news
“The raccoon pretty much ate the right side of her face, all the way back to the ear,” said Sharon Ponce, 54.
“Her right side is totally scarred and she’s had three surgeries to remove some of it almost two years ago”
Since the attack caused her face disfigured, Charlotte had to go through ten reconstructive surgeries which included a procedure to recreate an artificial ear
Luckily, Charlotte now can restore her face after her friends raised $10,000 donations. The plastic surgeon at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak who is responsible for the operation is planning to create a new nose, new right ear and fix her upper lip.
Tim gave a kiss to Charlotte before she was wheeled off to the operation theatre
“I met Dr. Chaiyasate online and we just knew that he treated Charlotte previously. He loves Charlotte like his own daughter,” said Sharon
“I can still remember he sat down and asked Charlotte whether she wanted a new nose and ear because he can give them to her”
“We are so touched because no one has ever asked her before this,” Sharon added.
Dr. Chaiyasate planted some ear tissues underneath the skin of her arm.
The tissues will then grow into a complete ear before it can be planted to the right side of her face as an ear
In spite of years of surgeries, Charlotte remains as a happy and optimistic young girl.
She loves to play with her friends and does things like her peers do
One of her hobbies is collecting earrings. She said that she had collected many pairs of earrings and would love to wear them once she has a new ear.
Finally, her dream is coming true
We are truly happy for Charlotte as she finally gets her looks and able to wear her earrings after so many years. What a tough child!
Plus, while getting wild animals as pets are becoming a common sight nowadays, we would like to remind you that they can still be aggressive at times. Please ensure that all safety precautions have been taken if you are considering to adopt wild animal as domestic pet.
If you are amazed by Charlotte’s perseverance and interested in raising public awareness about wild animal attacks on humans, why not share her story with your friends and family.
