Bullet deflects off Armadillo's shell, breaking man's jaw
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Art Eatman
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Yeah, a few cases of leprosy in Louisiana in the way-back-when. WW II era and earlier.
Patocazador
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I went to a wild game BBQ long ago. Everything was delicious especially the small pieces of pigs they had. I commented on how good they were to another guy. "Pigs?", he says, "Them ain't pigs, they're Hoover hogs."
Hoover hog was the local term for armadillo because folks had to revert to eating them during the Depression ... along with everything else they could.
Hoover hog was the local term for armadillo because folks had to revert to eating them during the Depression ... along with everything else they could.
grampajack
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It's worth mentioning that leprosy is difficult to contract. Casual one time exposure is unlikely to result in infection, at least from other humans. I would be willing to bet that most people to contract leprosy from armadillos were eating them. Believe it or not, there are still people who eat armadillo. I highly, highly doubt that you stand any risk of leprosy from an armadillo wandering through your yard. However, killing one and then disposing of its body would probably drastically increase your chances of exposure, and somehow I doubt that most dillo plinkers are taking proper precautions.
grampajack
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Double Naught Spy
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This is at least the 3rd story I have seen where people make such a claim. As somebody noted above, the dermal plates are very thin. The armadillo was not the source of the ricochet.
Actually, this is an ongoing problem with a notable outbreak in Florida 2015/2016 attributed to armadillos.
MCgunner
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Wow, them's some weak loads I'm thinkin'. I'll have to reevaluate my daily carry I suppose, but really, I'm not worried about defense against armadillos.
Funny thing, I've perforated many dillos with a .22. Hmmmm, maybe I'll start carrying my Ruger SR22 and put the .38 snubby and its 158 grain +Ps back in the safe.
Funny thing, I've perforated many dillos with a .22. Hmmmm, maybe I'll start carrying my Ruger SR22 and put the .38 snubby and its 158 grain +Ps back in the safe.
RPRNY
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Well. I think you've learned a valuable lesson here. MAGNUM.
Patocazador
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They taste so good that I would eat armadillos now if someone else cleaned and cooked them first. Most bacteria are killed by high heat.
It is thought that armadillos are a reservoir for the disease due to their low body temperature.
"Wild nine-banded armadillos (Dayspus novemcinctus) in south central United States often carry Mycobacterium leprae.[95] This is believed to be because armadillos have such a low body temperature." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy
It is thought that armadillos are a reservoir for the disease due to their low body temperature.
"Wild nine-banded armadillos (Dayspus novemcinctus) in south central United States often carry Mycobacterium leprae.[95] This is believed to be because armadillos have such a low body temperature." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy
The Bushmaster
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Hummm...Damn! Guess I had better quit using my .22 rifle that I have been dispatching 'dillos for years. Would an AR 10 be better? The last one I shot with my Winchester M290 was a through and through.
MCgunner
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See, just as with bears, killer dillers need more gun. I'm thinkin' .460 Weathery isn't too much.
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everydefense
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Two cases linked to 'dillo in Florida over the last five months Ref: Smithonian mag online
Art Eatman
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Recent cases? Wow. Did the Smithsonian article say how the contraction occurred? Handling? Eating?
Nah, what happened was the first bullet knocked the armadillo on his side. The second bullet entered the underside of the armadillo and was steered back to the shooter by the concave surface of the scales.
Riomouse911
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Barnbwt: I'll say #5.
My daughter called them Armor-dillos, maybe that name should stick?
My daughter called them Armor-dillos, maybe that name should stick?
They don't elaborate on that. They cited three altogether in east Florida, of which one was not 'dillo connected.
I would speculate it was handling shot dead 'dillos as one of the most likely mentioned transmission methods. They cite an estimated 20 percent infection of 'dillos. If you Google: armadillos leprosy, the Smithonian article should come up.
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grampajack
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http://www.npr.org/sections/health-...from-an-armadillo-thats-an-unlikely-pecadillo
Looks like there's more to the story. In summary, don't go to third world countries, don't touch or eat armadillos, and if you can follow these two simple rules you stand no more chance of getting leprosy than you do of getting HIV from a bus stop bench.
One thing I will say. The ticks in your yard pose a much greater threat to you than a whole family of dillos living in your garden. In the grand scheme of things, armadillos pose a threat somewhere between internal human combustion and drinking milk one day past its expiration.
Looks like there's more to the story. In summary, don't go to third world countries, don't touch or eat armadillos, and if you can follow these two simple rules you stand no more chance of getting leprosy than you do of getting HIV from a bus stop bench.
One thing I will say. The ticks in your yard pose a much greater threat to you than a whole family of dillos living in your garden. In the grand scheme of things, armadillos pose a threat somewhere between internal human combustion and drinking milk one day past its expiration.
RPRNY
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Ahh NPR, that unbiased news source with no agenda...
Ok. You like them and have determined they pose no threat to you and yours. Cool.
No armadillos have thus far penetrated northern Colorado, so not a problem for me. Cool.
But, for those who live where these southern invaders have thus far penetrated and who have small children, I would support the "no risk of leprosy" decision of others to eradicate them from their environs. Tis a far better thing that many healthy armadillos shall be slain than that one little kid get leprosy. Admittedly, too long for a bumper sticker, but rather poignant nonetheless.
grampajack
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I don't think you even read the article. I'm no fan of NPR, but I don't think giving little kids leprosy is on their agenda. If you're killing armadillos you're doing it just to have an excuse to kill something, and in the process increasing your already non existent risk of contracting the disease, not to mention the apparent risk of ricochet. In any case, shooting them is counterproductive.
If you had read the article then you would have read the part about all the people having had direct contact with an armadillo. So don't touch the armadillo and your risk is zero, assuming you're one of the five percent of people even capable of getting leprosy in the first place.
RPRNY
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Isn't America great? Everybody gets an opinion. Thanks for sharing yours.
Art Eatman
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I don't like to close a thread where I've gone off-topic along with other folks, but unless somebody has worthwhile info about the original subject of Mr. Ricochet, we might's well find another thread. 
Flintknapper
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I know bullets can do some odd things, but I've probably shot a hundred Armadillos in my lifetime with everything from a slingshot with ball bearings to .17 HMR to .458 SOCOM. A bullet did NOT ricochet (180 degrees) off an armadillo's shell and strike the guy that fired it. Just didn't.
There is something terribly wrong with the story (as related).
I can believe the bullet struck something harder and came back, but not an armadillo. More likely...poor gun handling skills resulted in the fellow shooting himself and the 'ricochet' story emerged to cover that up.
There is something terribly wrong with the story (as related).
I can believe the bullet struck something harder and came back, but not an armadillo. More likely...poor gun handling skills resulted in the fellow shooting himself and the 'ricochet' story emerged to cover that up.
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