CHELSEA, Ala. — Officials say a young infant was killed by their family’s pet in Chelsea, Alabama, on Thursday.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday just before 1 p.m., dispatch received a call about an animal attack involving an infant at a house in Chelsea.
Deputies, Chelsea firefighters, and Shelby County Animal Control Officers went to the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans said, according to AL.com, that the 3-month-old was bitten at the family’s house.
Evans said that the parents had claimed that the baby was on the floor and the animal picked up the child to start playing with them, according to WBRC. The parents reportedly attempted to get the baby from the animal but were too late.
Once at the scene, the infant was transported to the hospital with a law enforcement escort. Once the child was at the hospital, they were pronounced dead.
The animal was euthanized at the scene by a veterinarian, WBRC reported. The animal was taken to the Alabama State Diagnostics Laboratory to be examined.
The sheriff’s office said the animal was described as a wolf-hybrid and was kept as a family pet.
“It’s been confirmed that one of our children here in Chelsea was killed by an exotic family pet and succumbed to its injuries yesterday afternoon after being taken to the hospital by Chelsea Fire & Rescue. We are deeply saddened by this unfortunate and tragic event and lift up the family and all those affected with our deepest prayers and thought,“ Chelsea’s Mayor Tony Picklesimer said in a statement obtained by WBRC.
Picklesimer said that it is not illegal to own a wolf-hybrid in Chelsea, according to the news outlet.
“Alabama is one of four states in the United States that does not have a code against exotic animals. Once they get a taste, nature takes over and it’s just very sad,” Picklesimer said.
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