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Bulletproof armadillo puts Texas man in hospital after shot bounces off hard shell | Bulletproof armadillo puts Texas man in hospital after shot bounces off hard shell |
(35 minutes later) | |
A Texan man who tried to shoot an armadillo has found himself in hospital after his bullet bounced off the animal and hit him in the face. | A Texan man who tried to shoot an armadillo has found himself in hospital after his bullet bounced off the animal and hit him in the face. |
Police in Cass County said the unnamed man spotted the small animal “on his property” at around 3am local time on Thursday and decided to kill it. | Police in Cass County said the unnamed man spotted the small animal “on his property” at around 3am local time on Thursday and decided to kill it. |
“His wife was in the house. He went outside and took his .38 revolver and shot three times at the armadillo,” Sheriff Larry Rowe said. | “His wife was in the house. He went outside and took his .38 revolver and shot three times at the armadillo,” Sheriff Larry Rowe said. |
Its hard shell deflected at least one of the bullets, which ricocheted off struck the man's jaw. | |
Armadillos are famed for their thick skins | |
The man was airlifted to a nearby hospital in the city of Texarkana, where his jaw had to be wired shut, according to police. | The man was airlifted to a nearby hospital in the city of Texarkana, where his jaw had to be wired shut, according to police. |
It was unclear whether the armadillo survived the encounter and its whereabouts remains a mystery. | It was unclear whether the armadillo survived the encounter and its whereabouts remains a mystery. |
“We didn't find the armadillo,” the Sherrif Rowe said. | “We didn't find the armadillo,” the Sherrif Rowe said. |
It is not the first time an armadillo has exacted revenge on would-be killers in the US. | It is not the first time an armadillo has exacted revenge on would-be killers in the US. |
In April, a man’s elderly mother-in-law was shot in the back after he took aim at one of the armoured animals. | In April, a man’s elderly mother-in-law was shot in the back after he took aim at one of the armoured animals. |
Larry McElroy, 54, tried to kill the creature outside her home in Lee County, Georgia, but it deflected the bullet. | Larry McElroy, 54, tried to kill the creature outside her home in Lee County, Georgia, but it deflected the bullet. |
A local television station reported that it bounced off the armadillo, hit a fence, went through the 74-year-old’s back door and through the back of the chair she was sitting in. | A local television station reported that it bounced off the armadillo, hit a fence, went through the 74-year-old’s back door and through the back of the chair she was sitting in. |
Bill Smith, from Lee County Sheriff's Office, told WALB: “Just the circumstances - just all the way around - the whole situation was unusual.” | Bill Smith, from Lee County Sheriff's Office, told WALB: “Just the circumstances - just all the way around - the whole situation was unusual.” |
The woman was not seriously injured. | The woman was not seriously injured. |
Armadillos are considered a pest by many people in the southern US, where they dig up lawns, plants and crops. | Armadillos are considered a pest by many people in the southern US, where they dig up lawns, plants and crops. |
Additional reporting by Reuters | Additional reporting by Reuters |