Fuchs beisst Frauen

Police kill fox suspected of rabies

By MIKE HIBBARD

mhibbard@fltimes.com

GORHAM — A fox that attacked several people in this Ontario County hamlet was captured and eutha- nized by deputies Monday afternoon.

The gray fox, which is suspected of being rabid, first attacked a female in her backyard on South Street in the hamlet Sunday evening. When deputies arrived, however, the animal was gone and could not be found.

The woman was taken by private vehicle to F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua, where she was treated for cuts to her leg and given a rabies shot.

On Monday afternoon, deputies and the county Humane Society responded to South Street after a fox was seen walking near houses and back porches. Deputies said they didn’t see the animal, but while they were in the area they heard a female screaming from a driveway on the street.

When they arrived at the home, the woman said she had just been attacked by the fox, which had also torn up a pumpkin in her yard.

The animal was gone by the time officers arrived, and the woman said the fox’s bite did not penetrate her footwear.

As officers continued their search, they heard another female scream from across the road, and she later told deputies she had been attacked by the fox in her driveway as she walked to her house from her vehicle.

The woman suffered minor cuts to her leg and later drove herself to Thompson for treatment. Officers then found the fox in a bush and killed it.

While officers were on the scene, another resident told them a family dog had been attacked by the fox. The dog was taken to a veterinarian for treatment.

Deputies said the fox was taken to the Humane Society to be tested for rabies, and anyone who may have come into contact with it over the last day or two is urged to contact their doctor or go to an emer- gency room.

Anyone who believes their pet may have come into con- tact with the fox is urged to contact their veterinarian.

Deputies said the county Public Health Department is also involved in the case.

Sagte ich schon, dass wir ländlich leben und die Nachrichten manchmal...um...auch ein wenig ländlich sind?