Rabid Fox Bites 3-Year-Old After Terrorizing Texas Neighborhood

A suspected rabid fox terrorized a Texas neighborhood on Wednesday, culminating with a biting attack on a 3-year-old boy. Authorities warned residents to beware as the fox was "exhibiting signs and symptoms consistent with rabies."

The child was reportedly bitten by the fox inside a garage. The person who reported the incident chased the fox away. There has been no word on how the boy is currently doing.

Animal Welfare League of Arlington stated it received calls about a fox acting aggressively towards dogs and people in the Gulf Branch neighborhood in Northern Arlington. It believes all calls involved the same fox. The fox also had potential contact with three domestic pets.

Arlington County Animal Control confirmed that it had captured a fox in the area later that same day. Animal Control said that it could not "definitively say" it was the same fox that attacked, as test results for rabies typically take several days.

Humans can contract rabies from the bite or scratch of infected animals. It can be fatal if medical attention is not given quickly.

According to the Humane Society, rabid foxes are very rare. It is the only time they ever pose a threat to humans; the fox strain of the disease has rarely, been transmitted. When cases do occur, it is usually in parts of Arizona and Texas.

Following the incident, Arlington County Animal Control urged citizens to only contact them when a fox is displaying abnormal behavior.

Signs of rabies in foxes include an inability to use their limbs well, and circulating or staggering as if drunk. Rabid foxes will also act aggressively for no reason, or act unusually tame.

Urban foxes are common in Texas and born within neighborhoods. They are generally familiar with people, their pets, and routines. Occasionally, a curious fox may need to be reminded to be wary of people, especially if humans have been feeding them.

Any warm-blooded mammal can carry or contract rabies, but the most common carriers in North America are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes and coyotes. Because of an increase in pet vaccinations, cases in humans are rare, with wildlife now accounting for more than 90 percent of all reported rabies incidents.

Very few people die from rabies nationwide each year. There are fewer than three fatalities each year nationwide, on average.

However, the CDC has recently reported an increase in human rabies cases. On January 6 it said that three people, including one child, had died from rabies between September and early November 2021. These cases were all linked to bats.