Officials Issue Warning About A Tiny Critter That People Keep Spotting In Their Yards
Life in Virginia is usually pretty peaceful – but these days it's pretty dangerous. A brown, hairy animal that no one had ever heard of has infiltrated people's yards all over the state. The critter could be mistaken for a small cat or even an alien. But make no mistake about it, this mini-beast could cause you all kinds of trouble. In fact, an encounter with the venomous creature left one woman in the emergency room.
Sudden pain
That woman is Crystal Spindel Gaston. While trying to get into her Prius one afternoon, Gaston felt a sharp pain engulf her leg. “It felt exactly like a scorching-hot knife passing through the outside of my calf,” she later told NBC 12. But when she first looked at her leg, nothing appeared to be wrong.
No trace of a cause
“I thought 100 percent I was going to see a big piece of metal, super sharp, sticking out from my car,” Gaston said. Instead, she saw a weird little clump of fur that looked like a stray mustache. Little did Gaston know, she had just had an encounter with a venomous animal.
Finding answers
Panicking, Gaston rushed to the emergency room. Her pain was increasing, and she was sure this mystery creature was the reason why. Understandably, she wanted to know how this furry little thing was capable of causing so much agony. But, as she found out, answers were hard to come by.
What is that thing?
Before speeding to the ER, Gaston had taken pictures of the furry beast. But when she showed them to the medical staff, no one had a clue what her attacker was. Yet Gaston was one of many people across Virginia who had spotted these hairpiece-like bugs. And she wasn't the only victim of their excruciating bite.
