ROCHESTER, N.H. (WHDH) - Authorities in New Hampshire say a fox behind several attacks in the city of Rochester has tested positive for rabies.
Officials with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said multiple people were bit when a fox aggressively pursued locals on Wednesday.
“This guy was biting at car tires, he was biting at mailbox posts and he was chasing people in various locations around the city,” said the NHFG’s Colonel Kevin Jordan.
A spouse of one of the victims spoke with 7NEWS and described how his family’s own encounter with the fox led to a rush to get to safety.
“All of a sudden, she said ‘Something’s biting me, something’s biting me,'” Ryan Snyder said.
Sharing images of the bite wounds, he said his wife had been sitting outside their home when it happened and that the animal appeared to pursue the family as they ran indoors.
“Our two girls were there and my in-laws, and so we ran inside and got through the sliding glass door and actually, it followed us,” he said. “It would have probably come in the house.”
At least four people were bit altogether on Oct. 4.
The fox was eventually captured after it showed up at the local post office, where Jordan said three postal employees were working at a loading dock when the animal appeared and began aggressively pursuing them.
The workers reportedly ran inside the building through automatic doors that didn’t close fast enough, allowing the fox to get inside.
“The door closed behind him, so now they’re trapped in one big room with this aggressive fox,” Jordan said. “One postal worker was bitten, I believe, on the hand.”
The workers were able to later make it out and lock the animal inside the room, allowing authorities to recover the fox and euthanize it.
Tests later confirmed the animal was rabid, necessitating all of the those who were bit to immediately start the vaccination process.
According to Snyder, he and his wife were not alone when they arrived at the hospital.
“When we were at the hospital, we were the second ones there for a bite and while we were there, two more people came in.” he told 7NEWS. “I have never, ever had anything like that happen – it was just crazy.”
More information on what to do if you are ever bit by a rabid animal can be found here.
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