Attacked, Chased By Fox In Mahopac

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A woman in Mahopac was attacked by a fox on Saturday. The woman was in the yard of her home on Agor Lane in Mahopac at about 5:45 p.m. on Saturday when a gray fox emerged from nearby woods and attacked her, Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith said.

The animal bit her on the left ankle and clawed her right ankle and foot, drawing blood, police said.

The victim ran inside her home in an effort to get away from the fox, but it pursued her into the residence, which was occupied by the woman's children. The woman and the children then fled from the house and closed the door behind them, confining the fox inside, and called 911.

Sheriff's deputies responded to the house, along with paramedics and an ambulance. The woman was given first aid for her bite and claw wounds and was taken by ambulance to Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel for further treatment.

Officers from the New York State Environmental Conservation Police responded to the scene and were able to capture the fox. The animal will be tested for rabies at a state laboratory in Albany.