United Kingdom: Fox rescued from soccer net

UNITED KINGDOM -- The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in England helped rescue a fox trapped inside the net of a soccer goal.

The fox was struggling to free itself from the side of the soccer net at a school in Hertfordshire when animal control officers arrived to cut it loose.

Animal Collection Officer Grace Mead said the fox was uninjured and was released back to the wild, but said sports netting left outside regularly presents a threat to wild animals.

"Sadly we do get called to a lot of incidents where wildlife have got themselves caught up in sports netting. Now that we're in spring and the weather will be getting nicer, people will be making more use of tennis and goal nets, which is why it is very important that we get the message out about how hazardous it can be," Mead said.

Mead said the fox was lucky to have avoided injury in the incident and encouraged citizens to put their sports equipment away.

"Sadly, over the years far too many animals are rescued from sports netting, including birds, hedgehogs and foxes," Mead said.

"So please help us to help keep wildlife safe by putting away your sports nets when you have finished playing. It only takes a few minutes and it could save an animal from suffering, like this poor fox did."

(UPI.com - Mar 21, 2017)

United Kingdom: Fox rescued after trying to climb iron fence and is impaled on it

UNITED KINGDOM -- A fox got lucky after climbing through an iron gate and becoming impaled on a metal spike - which narrowly missed all its vital organs.

A passer-by discovered the male fox, in Brighton, East Sussex, where he had been trying to get out of a garden but failed to get between the narrow bars and landed on the spike.

RSPCA animal collection officer Claire Thomas was called to the scene and was able to remove the injured animal before his wound became too severe.

She then rushed the wounded creature 40 miles to RSPCA Mallydams Wood wildlife centre, in Hastings, where he was operated on.

Ms Thomas revealed the fox had been fortunate to not receive more severe injuries, but is now recovering at their center ahead of a planned return to the wild.

She said: 'This poor fox was in a real fix - but very, very lucky. 'It seems as though he tried to jump through the gap in the gate but misjudged it, fell and got caught on the metal spike.

'Luckily the spike missed his vital organs.

'The vets at Mallydams were able to take him in to surgery and stitch up the wound and thankfully he is now recovering well - which is great news.

'It was very lucky he was found as he would've been in a lot of pain.

'We are keeping an eye on him at the moment and making sure he is getting the treatment he needs.

'He's not out of the woods yet but we hope that once he is well again we can release him back into the wild.

(Daily Mail - Dec 10, 2016)

North Carolina: Cary animal control officials confirms rabies case after fox attacks jogger, dogs

NORTH CAROLINA --  Cary animal control officials have confirmed the town’s first case of rabies this year after a fox attacked a jogger and two dogs.

Officials tell local media outlets that the attack happened at around 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Police euthanized the animal and took it to the State Laboratory of Public Health, where testing confirmed the fox was rabid.

The jogger is receiving medical care, and both dogs had current rabies vaccinations and received booster shots.

This is why it's so important for pets to always be current on their rabies vaccinations!

The town’s last reported case of rabies was in October 2014.

(Reflector.com - Aug 19, 2016)

United Kingdom: Shocking moment fox cubs are put into kennels with hunting dogs ‘to train them to kill’

UNITED KINGDOM -- LIVE fox cubs are allegedly being put into the kennels of hunting hounds, to train the dogs to kill.

Footage secretly filmed at the South Herefordshire Hunt kennels apparently shows a man picking up two baby foxes and carrying them into the dogs' enclosure, before removing the lifeless bodies.

In a process called 'cubbing', where dogs are trained to kill foxes, the man carries the struggling cubs from cages one by one by the scruff of the neck, and after putting each in with the hounds a whooping noise is heard and sound of barking begins.

 

The whooping noise is apparently made by the man and is to encourage the dogs to hunt, as it calls on the animals to attack.

Each fox is brought out not moving and looking lifeless and dumped in a bin.

Activists, the Hunt Investigation Team, studied the bodies found in the bin seen in the footage recorded in May.

One of the team, who remained anonymous when she spoke to the BBC, said: "They don't naturally hunt foxes. They have to be taught to recognize foxes as prey and not only to hunt them but also to kill them.

"We believe this evidence shows fox cubs were actually thrown to the hounds because the bodies came out.

"When our investigators took those fox cubs out, one of them was disemboweled, one of them has multiple bite wounds. Our feeling is that they were fed live to the hounds."

 

The bodies have been passed on to police and the kennels are closed.

Three people arrested in May and June, a 37-year-old man from Hereford, a 27-year-old woman from Hereford and a 37-year-old man from Abergavenny, have since been released on bail.

VIDEO:

If you cannot view the video above, click here to watch it on YouTube:
"Fox Cubs Investigation"

(The Sun UK - June 23, 2016)

Read more:

• Arrests at the South Herefordshire Hunt, England

New Jersey: 'It was like a zombie,' says man attacked by rabid fox

NEW JERSEY -- The only reason Jon Campbell got away was because its leg got caught in the fence. He chucked logs at it to pin it there just long enough to run inside and dial 911.

He was in disbelief of what just happened. There was a rush of adrenaline. After calling the police to report the attack, he looked back out at the fence. The rabid fox was gone.

Campbell was in his yard the Thursday before Memorial Day cutting grass when the lone fox calmly walked right up to him. He recalled, at first glance, thinking it was a neighbor's cat or dog.

"I was 100% calm," he said. "Then I realized it was a fox."

Without having a chance to react, Campbell said the fox jumped up and bit him in the hip completely piercing through his clothing.

"He was attached at the hip," he said. "It was parallel sticking out from my hip as I was smashing it with my hands."

Campbell said the fox looked to be about 15 to 20 pounds.

"It was bigger than a cat but smaller than a dog," he added.

He fought to get the fox off of him, and eventually succeeded, but the fox kept coming back.

"It didn't charge at me, it just kept treading back up to me," he said. "It wasn't hissing or foaming at the mouth or anything."

Campbell said the fox approached 15 to 20 more times and each time he kicked it in the head to fight it off. The final kick was to the chest, which punted the fox into the fence catching its leg long enough for Campbell to run inside.

After cleaning out his wound, he headed out the door to drive to the emergency room. As he walked down his driveway he noticed the fox approaching him again.

"I thought 'let me see if this guy is stupid enough to follow me,'" he said.

It's not that the poor animal is "stupid enough" to follow him. It's that the rabies virus is eating his brain and he is in horrible agony while slowly dying.

Campbell then headed to his garage in hopes the fox will follow, and it did. Once inside the garage, he jumped over the fox and swiftly made it to the door, closing it behind him to trap the animal. Inside, he could hear the animal jumping around and later found it it bit the handle of a metal gas can.

"It was like a terminator or a zombie," he said.

The authorities arrived shortly after.

Campbell was given a tetanus shot and was treated for his wound at the hospital, which he said was about two inches long and an eighth of an inch deep. He started a series of rabies shots the next morning.

The fox was euthanized and a brain sample test for rabies came back positive, according to Edgewater Park Police.

Rick Bailey, an animal control officer for M&R Wildlife Removal in Palmyra, said shots administered after a rabid animal bite only prevent the human from contracting the disease after that one particular incident with the animal. A pre-emptive rabies shot can help prevent anyone from contracting the disease if they're later bitten, he said.

Bailey said you have one month to receive a rabies shot after coming in contact with an animal, but suggests receiving it immediately after being exposed.

"It all depends on where the bite is on the body," he said. "The farther from the head, the longer you have."

"There are many stages of rabies," Bailey said. "The dumb stage, in which they get really lethargic, the friendly stage and the aggressive stage."

Campbell said the fox that approached him seemed like a tame animal.

"If it stood there much longer, I might have reached down and pet it," he said.

Campbell said it's not uncommon to see a wild animal in the area, but added that he usually sees them from afar.

"I've been here all my life," he said. "You hear about fox sightings on occasion but I've been hearing about it more than usual."

Since the attack, Campbell said he is more aware of his surroundings.

"I'm definitely a little more shy," he said.  "And my peripheral is definitely more attentive."

(NJ.com - June 21, 2016)

Indiana: Little fox rescued by Animal Control after falling into an open well

INDIANA -- This little fox is much better now, thanks! He and a sibling fell into an open well on an abandoned farm property, and thanks to an observant neighbor, and a fabulous Bartholomew County Animal Control Officer, he was saved.

He was lying next to his dead brother, and would have suffered the same painful fate.

Thanks. too, to Travis Anderson from City Animal Control, who dropped by to see if there was anything he could do. Utopia relies on our local animal control agencies to help us do our job.

Our fox pal was emaciated, but is very pleased to find out that the accommodations here include mice.

UPDATE (06/01/2016) - Our fox friend after rescue. Life is not that bad here, but a little guy's got a lot of adjustments! He's eating well and is more active.

In the next few days we hope to find him a friend or friends, either one will be admitted here, or through networking with other rehabilitators who may have some.

(UTOPIA Wildlife Rehabilitators - May 30, 2016)

Pennsylvania: It's against the law to bash in the skulls of puppies but not foxes

PENNSYLVANIA -- Is it still a case of animal abuse? That's a question some are asking after animal cruelty officials in Schuylkill County discovered the remains found in a creek were of nine foxes.

Many people say it doesn't matter whether the animals were foxes or puppies and that crushing the skull of any animal is animal cruelty.

What may seem socially unacceptable to some may still be legal.

Because the animal remains dumped at a creek just outside Tower City had been decomposing for days, it took a pathologist in Harrisburg to determine the carcasses were not of nine puppies but of nine foxes.

It was not the animal cruelty case the SPCA in Pine Grove originally thought, but many are still upset with the way the foxes were killed and dumped, likely by animal trappers. Their skulls were crushed.

Why do we continue to allow this in the United States?

"We certainly come across cases that wouldn't agree with how we personally feel, but it also doesn't violate any state laws," said Todd Hevner, SPCA of Luzerne County.

The SPCA of Luzerne County clarified that while this may seem still seem like a case for humane officers to investigate, they only have jurisdiction over potential animal cruelty cases regarding domestic companion animals, like cats and dogs.

"This particular case was proven to be foxes, and this falls under the game commission," Hevner said.

"Legal and ethical trappers would not condone this behavior as far as the dumping goes. The dispatching of an animal, in some cases a fox, is given a quick blow to the bridge of the nose to stun it," explained Pennsylvania Game Commission official William Williams.

That quick blow could crack a fox's skull, and the game commission says it is not illegal.

The foxes were found about two months out of fox trapping season, but Williams says they may not have been trapped out of season. The fox remains could have frozen and been kept for months somewhere before they were dumped.

The game commission stresses that while trapping may seem cruel to some, it is necessary.

"When populations of predators become too high, there is increased incidences of disease transmission. Foxes are a vector species of rabies," Williams said.

Game commission officials in Dallas say the only clear illegal act is dumping of the animal remains in the creek. Offenders could face fines, but it would be up to the Game Commission in Reading to investigate the dumping and look into any further concerns over possible abuse cruelty.

There is no word if game officials in Reading are investigating.

(WNEP - April 21, 2016)

TRAPPING IS OUTDATED AND BARBARIC AND NEEDS TO BE OUTLAWED:

Virginia Officer Rescues Fox Stuck in Fence Posts

VIRGINIA -- A Prince William County police officer helped an adorable fox escape from a fence after taking a fall off a deck.

Officer T. Jones responded to a suspicious incident Thursday after a resident reported having blood on their deck.  Jones found the small fox who had his head stuck in between two fence posts after he fell off the resident’s deck.

 

Jones lifted the fox’s body over the fence posts and laid him in the grass. The fox was a little wobbly getting on his feet at first but soon wandered into the nearby wooded area.

He’s expected to be just fine, police said.

From Prince William County Police Department's Facebook page:

He’s okay! Officer T. Jones responded to a suspicious incident earlier today. A resident reported having blood on their deck. Upon investigation, Officer Jones located this little guy. Apparently he had fallen off of the deck and his head was stuck in between the fence posts. Officer Jones lifted the fox’s body up over the fence then laid him in the grass. The fox was a little wobbly at first but was able to wander off into the wooded area. He’ll be just fine. Good job Officer Jones! Looks like you are the one who is SLY.

(NBC4 Washington-Mar 31, 2016)

Missouri: Baby Fox Trapped in Storm Drain Rescued by Police Officers

MISSOURI -- Two Kearney police officers responded to an unusual call Wednesday night when dispatchers sent them to investigate reports of strange noises coming from a storm drain.

"I'd never been in a sewer drain before," said Officer Jeffrey Garton of the Kearney Police Department. "I don't know if I'd do it again. It would have to be a good reason."

The reason on Wednesday night was something special.

"I came down here and I could observe a small baby fox that was down in the bottom of the drainage ditch," said Sgt. Joe Kantola of the Kearney Police Department.

The officers were able to save the fox and capture the video on Garton's body camera.

  

"Officer Garton forgot that he had his on and he was lucky to capture it," Kantola said.

The fox got stuck between two drains.

"Sgt. Kantola went down and the fox ended up running from him because he was obviously scared," Garton said.

"Foxes, you know, it's not something you see every day and I knew that I wanted to help out," said Kantola.

The men said they don't know how long the fox had been in the drain, but they're glad they rescued it when they did. The drain is more than 15 feet deep and there was no way the fox would get out without their help.

"He had maybe a day left," said Garton. "He seemed pretty weak, scared and wet."

"It could walk but it wasn't very fast," Kantola said.

After about 30 minutes, the two men were able to catch the fox, with one general thought.

"I hope it's friendly," said Garton.

It was.

"It appeared to be a gray fox with a little bit of red," Kantola said. "It was very young, very small. We looked around for a mother fox but felt it wouldn't survive if we released it into the wild."

The fox was taken to a Liberty veterinary clinic, where experts will try to prepare it for release back into the wild.

This is actually the third time Kearney police have had to rescue a fox from a drain. This is the first rescue involving a baby fox.

From the Kearney Missouri Police Department Facebook page:

Late Wednesday Night, Police Officer JD Garton and Sgt. Joe Kantola responded to a call for service in which a Kearney Citizen could hear noises coming from the storm drains in front of their house. Officers were able to track the noise to another storm drain and could see that a baby fox was inside. Sgt. Kantola entered the storm drain, but the fox went further into the drainage system. Officer Garton entered the drain at a different location to prevent the fox from going any further. After navigating over 150 feet of the drainage system, the officers were able to safely rescue the fox. The Fox will be taken to an animal rescue, where it will be nursed to health and later released.

(AOL News - April 9, 2016)

California: Sheriff's animal control officer rescues wildlife in Vacaville

CALIFORNIA -- Vacaville is home to both humans and wildlife. Sometimes these two worlds collide and the outcome isn’t so good for the wild animal.

Solano County Sheriff Animal Control Officer Elizabeth Bokum said these types of issues make up about 60 percent of the calls she responds to — be it a resident’s dog which has encountered a wild animal or some wildlife that has come into contact with a car.

Luckily, Vacaville residents are quick to alert the Sheriff’s Animal Control Office when they see animals in need, said Bokum.

“It’s so awesome how the citizens call in,” she said.

The sheriff’s office received calls Feb. 18, about a deer in distress. Bokum first spotted the deer in a Solano Irrigation District canal near Midway Road. She called SID to have them unlock a gate to the canal so she could access the canal.

When she finally got access to the canal, she drove alongside it until she spotted the deer in the water near Eubanks Drive, she said.

“I saw the tip of its nose and then it went under,” she said.

She grabbed it with her “catch pole” and lifted it out of the canal.

The SID worker who let her in helped her load it into her truck. She took it a couple miles away — so it wouldn’t get back in there again — and released it.

She watched as the deer began grooming itself and shaking the water out of its ears.

“You could tell it was going to be OK,” she said. The deer eventually got up and left on its own.

Tuesday, Bokum was called out on another wildlife call in Vacaville. This time someone called about an injured gray fox that had lingered for days in a resident’s yard near Pleasants Valley Road.

Bokum arrived at the house and found the 15-pound fox curled up by the pool.

It was lethargic, as if it had been hit by a car or possibly consumed something it wasn’t supposed to, said Bokum, a former veterinary technician.

“You (could) tell it wasn’t doing so well,” she said.

She and another officer were able to get the fox into a cage and take it to the Suisun Wildlife Center, where the ACOs typically take injured wildlife.

“They’re great people there,” said Bokum, who has been a Sheriff’s ACO for a year. The fox is reportedly recovering and will be released soon in the same general area where it was found, she said.

“We’re just happy that it’s able to recover,” she said.

(TheReporter.Com - ‎Feb 25, 2016‎)

Wildlife center takes delivery of litter of seven cubs found dumped next to a clothing bin

PENNSYLVANIA -- A litter of adorable baby foxes are being looked after they were discovered abandoned in a cardboard box in a car park in Pennsylvania.

The newborn cubs were discovered by a woman passing the car park, who noticed the box sitting next to a clothing donation bin.

When she peeped inside she saw seven baby foxes – thought to be only 10 days old – sitting together.

The cubs were taken to the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Educational Center in Stroudsbury, where they are now being cared for.

 

Katherine Uhler, director of the center, said the little creatures -  five males and two females - were healthy but dehydrated when they arrived.

She said: ‘They came in at about six ounces each. There are five males, also known as dogs, and two girls known as vixens. We know they're red foxes because even though they're not red yet, they still have this little white tail.’

The center is spending more than $1,000 looking after the foxes, who are being bottle-fed special 'fox milk' and formula.

Ms Uhler added: ‘We had to give them rabies vaccinations and feed them fox milk.

'We gave them Pedialyte fluids first then mixed a quart of Fox Valley formula which is designed specifically for baby wild foxes.

 

‘We bottle feed them until they are a little bigger, then they'll start feeding out of the bowl.

‘When they're finished feeding out of the bowl then we'll start feeding them what they eat in the wild which is meat, and some vegetables and fruits.’

The pack will be returned back to the wild in July.

(Daily Mail - April 13, 2015)

Fox Rescued After Getting Stuck in Va. Home's Fence

VIRGINIA -- A not-so-sly fox was the subject of a local animal shelter’s Facebook post Monday after the animal got stuck trying to jump over a Glendale resident’s fence.

The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria posted the above photos of the fox saying, “What did the fox say? OOOOPs!”

The shelter says an Animal Services officer was called to the home where the male fox was discovered dangling from a fence Sunday.

  

With his head was stuck between two fence posts, the little guy was trying his best to escape by chewing through the wood.

But, it turns out, the fox wasn’t too phased by the incident. He quickly ran off after the officer helped release him from the fence.

The officer said the animal had no significant injuries.

(CBS Local - Feb 3, 2015)

Wild fox survives with help of Stephenville veterinarian

CANADA -- At death’s door 12 days ago, Dr. Jessica Boyd, a veterinarian who operates out of West Coast Veterinarian Services in Stephenville, discovered the young adult male fox in a shelter where she keeps her horses in the community of Noel’s Pond.

“I was surprised when he came over to me instead of running away,” she said of the fox and their first meeting.

The animal was slumped over and seemed weak, so she used a blanket to pick him up, fearing that her horse may have kicked him instinctively to protect itself. It was the first fox she had ever handled and going under the assumption he was injured, she moved with caution.

Being a veterinarian it was easy for her to take Felix to her clinic. The first thing she did was carry out a normal physical exam and quickly learned that he was undernourished and, in her opinion, starving to death.

She started giving him fluids to rehydrate him and has been feeding him a dog recovery formula used for critically ill dogs and cats, which also proved to be an appropriate diet for a starving fox.

Boyd said when she first brought him to the clinic he weighed 7.85 pounds and when he was weighed on Sunday, he was up to  9.06 pounds, a 15 per cent bodyweight increase in 10 days.

She said he’s doing well and she is very happy with his progress.

Boyd said there is no plan to release him into the wild in this area because with his low body weight and less than ideal fat reserves; in her opinion he wouldn’t make it without having a place to hunt easily.

“I don’t think he would survive,” she said. “Another issue is that where he’s so tame, he’s at risk of getting himself into trouble.”

The veterinarian clinic is not really set up to keep him long term, so Boyd contacted the Salmonier Nature Park on the Avalon Peninsula, who agreed to take Felix.

He is currently awaiting transportation to the nature park in the next couple of days, weather permitting.

Boyd said the park will decide whether he will be rehabilitated and released back into the wild or kept as a permanent resident.

“I hope it ends up that they keep him in the park,” Boyd said.

(The Western Star - January 27, 2015)

Saudis who burned caged fox to death face jail, lashes

SAUDI ARABIA -- A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a group of young men to 70 days in jail for torturing a caged fox and inflicting burns that led to its death.

The court in Sarat Ubaida in the southwestern part of the country also decreed a sentence of 118 lashes for the defendants found guilty of the acts of cruelty that they videotaped and posted on social networks, local daily Okaz reported on Sunday.

The case triggered widespread condemnation and calls for stringent action against those who tortured the animal when the video clip went viral on social networks in September.

The video showed the group of men pouring an inflammable substance on the fox inside a cage and setting it on fire. One young man was heard saying that they wanted to punish the fox for eating 30 chickens.

The Saudi Wildlife Commission was quick to act and issued an appeal to the public to help identify the group of young men who had set the fox alight and “shamelessly violated all Islamic values and rules”.

“Such an act is totally against human nature and values, perpetrated by terrorists and criminals,” Prince Bandar Bin Saud Bin Mohammad, the president of the Saudi Wildlife Commission, said.
“Their behaviour is exactly like what the members of the Daesh terrorist group are doing, killing without mercy. Torturing an animal to death is not and cannot be condoned by anyone who claims he is a Muslim. And filming this abominable act to show off makes our heart bleed and deeply disturbs everyone who respects life,” Prince Bandar said.

He said the torturers were not men enough.

“Manhood has specific standards and criteria. These are terrorists living in the dark,” he said. “We must all stand against them because they have violated the basic values of humanity. Foxes, like all people and animals, have rights. Our religion has laid out very clear instructions on how to behave and deal with animals,” he said.

(Gulf News - Nov 30, 2014)

Escaped coati spotted roaming around quiet neighborhood leads police to garage filled with exotic animals

MICHIGAN -- Police responding to calls of a strange creature roaming the streets in Michigan on Wednesday discovered more than 30 exotic animals in a garage.

Lemus, coatis, an owl and other animals that can be kept only with a license were found in 'deplorable' conditions, living in small cages.

 

Detroit Zoo has taken in the assortment of exotic animals which are said to be [relatively] healthy despite how they were being kept.

The unexpected discovery was made after neighbors reported seeing a coati - a South American animal similar to the raccoon - roaming around on lawns.

'We responded thinking that the odds ... were pretty slim, but they turned out to be credible,'  Deputy Police Commissioner Louis Galasso told Detroit News.

The owner of the animals, who has not been identified, was at work when police called to say they had found his coati.

He told police that he didn't realize he needed an exotic pet license to keep the animals, and that he had been due to clean their enclosures on the day the coati escaped.

This Fennec Fox is being kept in a rodent cage.

Police removed his animals, which included two white-nosed coatis, two ring-tailed lemurs, three fennec foxes and a screech owl.

The creatures are currently in quarantine at Detroit Zoo, which has stepped in before to take over the care of exotic animals.

Elizabeth Arbaugh, curator of mammals at the zoo, said they appeared to be in good health but the 'conditions these animals were being kept in were deplorable'.

Zoo director Ron Kagan said: 'Privately owned exotic animals kept as 'pets' often end up in compromised conditions and in need of rescue.'

He added that the zoo has worked with Michigan Humane Society to try to get legislation passed to bar such animals being kept.

Police said they plan to seek charges against the animals' owner for allegedly having dangerous and wild animals, and for animal cruelty.

Each charge has a 90-day prison sentence or $500 fine.

A fund has been set up by the zoo to help pay for the animals' care.

(Daily mail - July 10, 2014)

Victim Describes Rabid Fox Attack In Montpelier

VERMONT -- People in Montpelier got quite a scare this weekend after a fox with rabies bit 5 people and tried to bite 3 more.

The fox was eventually taken down but not before wreaking havoc on a neighborhood. All the victims received their rabies shots and health officials say they'll be fine. But what they went through sounds like something out of a nightmare.

“He was hanging from my wrist,” remembered Heidi Masi, who was bit multiple times by the rabid fox.

Heidi Masi's Saturday started off innocent enough. The Barre, VT woman was visiting her sister, Megan, on Northfield St. in Montpelier when they spotted an animal across the street: “That's not a cat that's a fox!"

She says the family, including many small children, ran inside. When they sped up, so did the fox.
“My aunt had said get in the house! I ran like there was no tomorrow because you don't want to be bit by stuff like that,” said Gino Masi, Heidi Masi’s son.

In all, Heidi says she was bitten 4 different times, from her chest to her leg, all while holding her 3 - year old nephew, Ray, in her arms.

Eventually the family got inside, but the fox wasn't done.

Less than 1 hour after police responded to Heidi's injuries, police received a call from another woman claiming she was bitten by the fox on Derby Drive about a block away.

He made his rounds through the neighborhood, biting 4 people and attempting to bite 3 others, including children.

Someone eventually killed the fox. The animal tested positive for rabies.

“When we put this animal down and got it tested and it was positive, we knew that there were a number of people that needed the rabies prophylaxis,” said Dr. Robert Johnson, Vermont’s State Public Health Veterinarian. “They've all started the series and they'll all be safe."

Dr. Johnson says attacks like these are not common but they've happened several times in the past 2 decades.

Now, in this neighborhood, the fear is that where there's one rabid fox, there may be more.

“I was really scared because I have a 6 month old and an almost 3 year old and a dog and we're outside all the time,” said Emily LeFebvre who lives near the attacks. “So it's really concerning that something hazardous could just be lingering around our yard."

Rabies takes a few weeks to show symptoms in pets.

If you have any concerns, you can call 1-800 4-RABIES (1-800-472-2437) in Vermont.

(My Champlain Valley FOX44 & ABC22 - June 24, 2014)