'Likely Rabid' Fox On The Loose After Biting Two In Leicester
LEICESTER (CBS) -- Police warned the public about a potentially rabid fox that bit two people in the area of King Street and Route 56 in Leicester Thursday morning, and said the fox had still not been found this afternoon.
The fox reportedly came up from behind someone and bit them while they were cleaning the windows of a King Street home. As police responded to this attack, they received a separate report of another person bit on King Street.
An ambulance responded to the first incident. The woman, who had a bandage on her foot, declined to speak about what happened.
Dennis Cooney was the second person who was bitten. He told WBZ-TV the fox bit into his steel-toed boot. The bite left teeth marks in his footwear.
Cooney said he kicked the fox twice and it ran off.
"When I turned my back on him, he made a B-line at me," Cooney said. "I live in the woods. Things happen."
Leicester Police Chief Jim Hurley said the fox was assumed to be rabid due to its behavior.
Hurley said as officers increased patrols throughout the day, one encountered the animal next to a house.
"There was a possibility that an officer could have made an attempt to euthanize it, but he didn't feel it was a safe situation," Hurley said.
Anyone who spots the animal is urged not to approach it and to call 911.
Leicester Memorial School was alerted about the fox attacks, and cancelled recess and all outdoor activities. Police later said officers would be present at school release time in case the fox showed up.