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NEW YORK (WCBS-TV) – Some people living in a neighborhood in Queens are afraid to leave their home. That’s because there have been several aggressive squirrel attacks in recent weeks, WCBS-TV’s Hazel Sanchez reported Tuesday.
Micheline Frederick is still bruised. Her bite wounds are healing after being attacked by a squirrel a week ago. “You hear someone’s been bitten by a squirrel, you’re like, ‘Okay, you have a little feather, what’s the problem?’ But it was… it was an MMA cage match! And I lost! Said Frédéric.
She said the squirrel, totally unprovoked, chased her as she stood on the front porch of her home in Rego Park on the 65th promenade. She shared graphic photos of the aftermath.
(Photo: Micheline Frederick))
“We’re fighting in the snow and there’s blood all over the place and my fingers are biting and it won’t let go,” Frederick said. “Finally, it just stopped and there I was in a big mess.”
A security camera image shows the squirrel clinging to its left hand. Several of Frederick’s neighbors were also terrorized by the rabid rodent, including Vinati Singh’s family. They were recording the squirrel in their mailbox when it pounced.
“These squirrels aggressively prey on people,” Singh said.
She said that one of them had sued her husband twice.
“He basically grabbed the plastic bag I had, tried to climb on my leg. I was able to drive them away. It was the first time. The second time, it was right here when I tried to get in, ”he said.
Last week, Licia Wang said she was walking home on the 65th promenade when a squirrel jumped on her back and bit her arm.
(Photo: Micheline Frederick)
“I was shouting! Crazy! ”Wang said.
The victims said they called the city for help. The Health Department said it advised them to hire a state-licensed trapper, which they have, but so far the traps remain empty.
The Centers for Disease Control says that small rodents like squirrels almost never get rabies. So not knowing what causes the squirrels to behave aggressively is a concern for many people who live in the area.
“I’m a little surprised that the city doesn’t take it a bit more seriously considering the number of people who have been attacked,” Singh said.
She said she was still being treated for rabies as a precaution, adding that it was a good reminder that although squirrels are cute, they are still wild animals.
Hazel Sanchez of CBS2 contributed to this report
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