WORCESTER, Mass. — A wild animal attack in Worcester has neighbors on edge after a fox charged at a woman in broad daylight and bit her several times, leaving her bloodied and hospitalized.
Worcester Animal Control tells Boston 25 they believe the same fox tried to attack someone else nearby just hours before the fox bit this woman near Esther Street.
Surveillance footage shows the moment the fox raced up to the woman, who neighbors say was just getting home from work.
Dahnyel and her daughter jumped in to help and grabbed a recycling bucket to cover the fox, but she says everything happened so fast that she noticed the fox was trying to escape.
“She didn’t even barely move. It started attacking her ankle, and she started running up the stairs. Continues to attack, at this point, she’s kind of screaming a little bit. She’s picking up whatever she can, her bucket, she’s hitting it, getting it, continuing to keep attacking her,” Dahnyel recalled.
Dahnyel tells Boston 25 animal control, and Worcester police responded and captured the fox, but other neighbors, like Giovanni, say wildlife has increased in the neighborhood. He says he’s afraid it can happen again and is worried for his sister, who commutes nearby every morning.
“If she were walking to school because she walks up Maxwell Street, because she goes to tech, who knows what would’ve happened to her,” Giovanni tells Boston 25 News.
Here’s what you should know, according to city officials:
- Always keep your distance from wild animals, whether you’re out for a stroll or with your pet
- Avoid feeding them as well
- Report any aggressive behavior immediately
Rabies exposure is rare, but if you do come in contact with an infected animal or unknown blood, you should treat it right away.
Boston 25 is told the victim is being treated at a local hospital and is expected to be OK.
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