MIDWAY, Ga. — A man was left fighting for his life after a vicious attack by a rabid bobcat in southeast Georgia.
Hunter Hudson said he was out camping last week when the bobcat struck without warning.
“It was me or him. It was me or him. And I got two little boys, 12 and five, and daddy’s coming home,” Hudson said.
He was enjoying a quiet campfire when a sound in the dark shattered the night.
“I heard a crazy noise, you know, I’ve never heard before,” he said.
That’s when Hudson said the bobcat struck without warning.
A video shot by a friend showed the chaos moments after.
“I just walked out of my camper and got attacked by a bobcat. I wasn’t looking for the bobcat, the bobcat found me and come out and jumped on my shoulder,” he said.
With his gun out of reach, he relied on pure instinct to survive.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“I reached around and grabbed him and pulled him as hard as I could back in front of me, and I took my thumbs and put it right in his (gestures to his throat) right there and made it so he couldn’t breathe,” he said.
Badly hurt, Hudson knew he had to act fast.
“I had blood running off the end of my fingertips and had to call the ambulance and get them to help me clot it. And up here and on my back wouldn’t stop bleeding,” he said.
But the danger wasn’t over. The bobcat tested positive for rabies.
“I got about 40 shots at about half-inch to an inch needles. It was a lot. I about passed out twice,” he said.
Health officials say rabies can make animals unpredictable and deadly.
As Hudson recovers and undergoes rabies treatments, he says he’s just grateful to be alive.
“I’ve seen a lot. You know what I mean? But for me, this is one of the craziest, I don’t know, man. You can’t make this up,” he said.
Experts say you should take any chances if you spot unusual behavior in wildlife. You should call authorities immediately.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Atlanta HVAC technician among 19 arrested in ‘child predator’ operation
- Have you received a random package you didn’t order? It could all be part of a scam to defraud you
- Suspects found guilty in trial for man killed walking on Atlanta Beltline
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
