Squirrel-Mania! Queens Residents Describe In Graphic Detail Being Attacked By Crazed Rodents
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some people living in a Queens neighborhood are afraid to leave their homes.
That's because there have been several aggressive squirrel attacks over the last few weeks, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported Tuesday.
Micheline Frederick is still bruised. Her bite wounds are healing after she was attacked by a squirrel one week ago.
"You hear someone has been bitten by a squirrel, you're like 'Okay, you got a little nib, what's the deal?' But this was ... this was an MMA cage match! And I lost!" Frederick said.
She said the squirrel, totally unprovoked, went after her as she stood on the front stoop of her Rego Park home on 65th Drive. She shared graphic photos of the aftermath.
"We're wrestling in the snow and there's blood everywhere and my fingers getting chewed and it won't let go," Frederick said. "Eventually, it just stopped and there I was a big bloody mess."
A security camera image shows the squirrel latched on to her left hand. Several of Frederick's neighbors have also been terrorized by the raging rodent, including Vinati Singh's family. They were recording the squirrel on their mailbox when it pounced.
"These squirrels are aggressively going after people," Singh said.
She said one has gone after her husband twice.
"He basically grabbed onto the plastic bag that I had, tried to climb up my leg. I was able to shoo them off. That was the first time. The second time was right here when I tried to get in," he said.
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Last week, Licia Wang said she was walking up to her home on 65th Drive, when a squirrel jumped on her back and bit her arm.
"I was screaming! Crazy!" Wang said.
The victims said they've called the city for help. The Department of Health said it advised them to hire a state licensed trapper, which they have, but so far the traps remain empty.
The Centers for Disease Control says small rodents like squirrels are almost never found to have rabies. So not knowing what's causing the squirrels' aggressive behavior is concerning for many people who live in the area.
"I'm a little surprised that the city is not taking it a little more seriously considering how many people have been attacked," Singh said.
She said she is still getting treated for rabies as a precaution, adding this is a good reminder that although squirrels are cute, they're still wild animals.
Any resident who has been bitten should contact their doctor and report the bite to the health department's Animal Bite Unit. For more information, please click here.
In addition, here's more on the city's rabies statistics.
For more info on wildlife, including nuisance wildlife, please click here.
CBS2's Hazel Sanchez contributed to this report
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