Rabid Fox Bites an Elderly Woman & 2 Kids in Upstate New York

This terrifying situation could've been much worse if it weren't for these officers.

Two DEC Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) were recently sent to Valley Falls after getting an urgent message from the New York State Police. An elderly woman called, claiming she and two children were bitten by a fox in their mobile home park.

Knowing this was likely a case of rabies, ECO's Rutherford and Bush were quick to assist the NYSP Troopers with the call.

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Upon arrival, the officers were unable to find the fox anywhere. They did a thorough search around the park, but still found nothing. They were forced to call it quits for the day, but told everyone to call again if the fox returned.

Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. But this time they came back with the big guns.

Much Needed Reinforcements

DEC Region 4 Bureau of Wildlife employees Seth Liddle and Joe Ermeti were sent to the location this time, spending a good chunk of the day searching for fox with the ECOs.

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Officer Rutherford finally found the animal, as the fox growled loudly and charged at him. The ECO was able to take out the fox before it hurt anyone else, finally putting an end to the worried families in the mobile home park.

Animals in Which Rabies is Most Commonly Found

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in North America rabies is most commonly found in bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes, and mongoose. It is also found in cats, cattle, and dogs. The CDC says that rabid bats have been found in every state except for Hawaii. Rabid mongoose have been found in Puerto Rico.

Rabies is easily transmitted from animals to other animals, including human beings. Human cases are rare in the United States, but deadly if not caught in time.