Rabid skunk 'the size of a cocker spaniel' repeatedly bites 5-month-old's face in viscous attack at child's daycare An incredibly large skunk that authorities have described as being the 'size of a cocker spaniel' attacked a 5-month-old boy as he sat in a bouncer in front of the home where he attended daycare in a rural section of Minnesota on Tuesday. Following the vicious attack - during which, the boy was bitten and scratched in his face and mouth - a man who lived in the home shot and killed the skunk as it tried to flee into the woods. The animal was then taken to a local veterinarian, who delivered the dead skunk to the University of Minnesota, where it was determined to have rabies. Authorities say the boy and several other children were outside playing at the daycare center just outside of Little Falls when the owner of the center turned away briefly to tend to another child. Rabid: After attacking a 5-month-old boy, the skunk was shot dead and later determined to have rabies 'They were having a nice day outside, and when she turned around to deal with one of the other kids she heard the baby scream,' Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel told KARE. And she turned back around and looked and here the skunk was actually was just walking away. As the skunk was walking off, the owner of the center's husband shot the animal. The boy was taken to hospitals in both Little Falls and St. Cloud, where he was treated for the injuries and exposure to rabies. The boy's mother also was treated for rabies because she came in contact with the boy's blood. 'The child had what looked to be bites and/or scratches all around its face, and one inside of his mouth,' Sheriff Wetzel explained. Good reputation: The daycare center where the baby was attacked has been in business for 25 years He got bit a number of times. And it was an unusually large skunk, almost the size of probably a cocker spaniel. The Minnesota Department of Health reported five rabid skunks in nearby Stearns County so far in 2013. Despite its large size, the skunk appeared thin and sickly, officials said. They suspect the animal was hiding in a garden at the daycare before attacking the baby. The owner of the daycare has been in business in the same location for 25 years. She currently has a waiting list of parents who want to get their children into her center. Unprovoked: The baby was playing in this bouncer when the skunk attacked him 'We're talking about a very responsible daycare provider here, who has a good record,' Sheriff Wetzel noted. This is an extremely rare occurrence. We're saddened, and it's unfortunate that it happened here,' he said. 'But it doesn't mean it's probably ever going to happen again, at least in our lifetimes.'