The family of a little girl who was bitten by a rabid fox in Bath last week hopes their story serves as a warning to others.
Julia Davis, 7, was playing at a friend’s house on Bumpy Hill Rd. in Bath when she was attacked by a rabid fox.
“She was scared, and I was too," Davis said. "It grabbed my towel, so I dropped it and then it grabbed my dress."
She said that is when her friend’s family dog, ‘Socks’, jumped into action and killed the fox.
Julia was bitten once in the leg and scratched on her foot.
“It’s scary,” Julia’s mom, Kristie Davis, said. “It's hard to express. You can't prevent it from happening. Even being there doesn't stop it from happening."
In Sagadahoc County alone, there were 10 confirmed cases of rabid animals this year, according to the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory. There were at least 45 statewide.
This month the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture dropped 300,000 rabies vaccine bates by plane for animals in northern Maine to try and stop the spread.
“We have to stop the spread of it moving north before we can prevent it or manage it in central and southern parts of the state," USDA Wildlife Biologist Jesse Morris said.
The Maine Dept. of Health and Human Services recommends the following to protect you and your pets:
- Keep your pet’s rabies vaccination current
- Feed pets indoors
- Keep garbage cans or other sources of food tightly secured
- Do not feed, touch, or adopt wild animals and be cautious of stray dogs and cats
- Do not relocate wildlife because this can spread rabies into new areas
- Contact Wildlife Services at 1-866-487-3297 to report dead or suspicious-acting raccoons, skunks, foxes, or coyotes in northern Maine. Or call Maine CDC at 1-800-821-5821 for concerns about rabies anywhere in Maine.
“Pet owners I would say keep up on those vaccinations. If Socks wasn't vaccinated already it could've been a lot worse,” Kristie Davis said.
Julia has received several rounds of shots since the incident and is expected to be just fine.