Baby 'attacked by fox'

BBC News ^ | July 2, 2002 | BBC Staff

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

A couple say their baby boy was left injured after a fox crept into their house while they slept. Fourteen-week-old Louis Day suffered bite marks on his head after the animal darted into the sitting room of the house in Dartford, Kent.

His parents say the fox tried to drag the baby out before Louis' father Peter chased it away.

Louis' injuries were treated at Darent Valley Hospital where doctors said the wounds could have been caused by a bite from a fox.

Residents say foxes are becoming more bold

The youngster was kept in hospital overnight and given two courses of antibiotics following the incident on June 26.

He has since returned home and is recovering well but his parents say they are afraid to leave him alone for even the shortest of periods.

Louis' mother Sue Eastwood was with him when the attack happened.

She said: "I'd fallen asleep, Louis was already asleep.

"The next thing he was screaming and I woke up and I was screaming.

"I've seen all this blood coming down his face and the fox is just sitting there staring at us."

'Blood covered'

Peter Day, the father of Louis, said he was in the kitchen when he was alerted by the screams of his wife and son.

He said: "By the time I got back in the room, the fox was sitting there looking at me.

"I did not see him grab Louis but the baby was just covered in blood.

"The fox didn't seem scared at all and just stood looking at me."

Residents in the Temple Hill area of Dartford have complained about the large number of foxes in the area.

They say the animals are becoming braver and are difficult to scare away.

People have approached the RSPCA in an attempt to get rid of the urban foxes.

Meanwhile, Louis' family have called on the local council to tackle the problem of foxes in the area.

But Trevor Williams, director of the Fox Project based in nearby Tunbridge, said this was the first case of its kind that he had heard of.

He said: "I'm absolutely convinced we are looking at a concussed or brain damaged animal to act in this way.

"I would suggest that once it got in it may be attracted by the movement from the baby and perhaps made a tentative bite and perhaps went a bit further, who knows?

"I would not consider this an attack at all. That indicates something vicious and wild and ferocious."

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

"The Dingo ate my Baby...

Tacky of me, I know.

[martin_fierro]

Tacky, maybe, but you just beat me to it. <|:)~

[E. Pluribus Unum]

"When guns are outlawed, foxes will eat your babies."

[Tijeras_Slim]

With coyotes in all 48 lower states, it's only a matter of time before they haul off a child. I've seen them act pretty bold in groups.

[LibWhacker]

The youngster was kept in hospital overnight and given two courses of antibiotics . . .

Only antibiotics? Has England eliminated rabies? I'm not saying this fox had rabies. It sounds like it was just hungry. But if the baby were mine I'd want to play it safe and give him rabies shots anyway.

[Shermy]

Due to hunting restrictions, and "sensitive" removal programs, coyotes (and maybe foxes) learn that humans are no threat to them in suburban areas.

[Charles Martel]

LOL! Reminds me of an old Far Side cartoon that pictured a day-care center separated from the business next door (Ed's Dingo Farm) by only a chain-link fence. The children are crawling around on the lawn while the dingos all look on with extreme interest. I believe the caption was simply "Trouble Brewing". Sometimes the Far Side ain't all that far...

[Argus]

But Trevor Williams, director of the Fox Project based in nearby Tunbridge, said this was the first case of its kind that he had heard of. He said: "I'm absolutely convinced we are looking at a concussed or brain damaged animal to act in this way. "I would suggest that once it got in it may be attracted by the movement from the baby and perhaps made a tentative bite and perhaps went a bit further, who knows? "I would not consider this an attack at all. That indicates something vicious and wild and ferocious."

Monty Python couldn't improve on this guy.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

I'm not saying this fox had rabies...

After the 'Dingo at my baby" quote, this was my first thought as well...

[joesnuffy]

When predators are no longer hunted their numbers increase and they become bolder imo...

[Tijeras_Slim]

"I'm absolutely convinced we are looking at a concussed or brain damaged animal to act in this way.

The Mike Tyson defense. :)

[martin_fierro]

I kid you not.

[Focault's Pendulum]

Sounds like payback time for all those hunts.

[Charles Martel]

Gotta agree. Replace "He's not dead... he's just resting!" with "He's not a carnivorous predator... he's just concussed!".

[fnord]

Baby 'attacked by fox'

When TV networks attack!
Tonight on Fox!

[Free the USA]

Maybe if England hadn't banned Fox Hunting there would be fewer foxes, especially foxes that aren't afraid of people.

[mrfixit514]

"The fox didn't seem scared at all and just stood looking at me."

Any fox that can pick a lock and use the knob to open a door to a house shouldn't be scared at all.

[willyone]

There have been two fatal attacks on children in Southern Ca. and many other incidents. Idiots feed them and then they lose all fear. They do eat stray cats however and that is a re deeming value.

[SandfleaCSC]

Coyotes are classed as varmint animals in my area. That means they can be shot year round. I've bagged a couple of the critters since last November. They are an extreme hazard to deer and housepets, but I haven't heard of any human attacks to date.

[Restorer]

I believe there is little, if any, rabies in Britain. There have very strong quarantine laws to prevent its introduction.

OTOH, they do seem to have problem with hooves, mouths and mad cows.