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BLAIRSTOWN, NJ – A Blairstown woman was attacked by a raging gray fox this weekend, said Blairstown's animal control officer, Scott Hendricks.
The woman was bitten twice by the fox after the fox killed one of the cats on her Golden Chain Road farm, Hendricks told NJ.com. The woman had gone to the barn to feed her cats when she found the fox with the dead cat, said Hendricks. The fox spotted it and attacked it.
Hendricks told the newspaper that the woman's daughter had heard the noise of the barn and had gone out to help her mother. The girl threw an ax at the fox; The fox tried to bite the ax, then accused his daughter, said Hendricks.
The girl and a passerby used a shovel to stun and then kill the fox.
The fox was sent to the state laboratory for testing and the corpse came back with the rabies virus, Hendricks said; the woman is now treated for rabies.
Gray foxes are fairly typical in North America. They are much smaller than red foxes and measure about 14 inches. They weigh between 6 and 15 pounds and usually have a color of salt and pepper with a black tail.
Hendricks shared these special notes on Gray Foxes:
- The gray fox is the only member of the family of dogs able to climb trees – sometimes called the
- "tree fox" or the "cat fox"
- They are mostly nocturnal, but can look for food during the day
- The female can swim in a hollow tree or dig a den. The den can measure up to 75 feet and have 10 or more outings
- Gray foxes mate in February or March
- The young are born in April or May
- 3 to 7 puppies are dark brown and born blind
- A pungent smell, similar to that of skunks
- Vocalizations include barking, screaming, barking, moaning and screaming
- They come down from the trees backing like a bear or a cat
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