A quiet street in Torrington was shaken up Sunday night when a fox emerged from the woods and attacked two men who were out and about following a neighborhood get-together.
“I just didn’t know what was going on until after I’d finally kicked it down, ‘til it wasn’t moving anymore,” said Paul Ferry, a resident of Blake Street in Torrington, who was attacked. Ferry said the fox grabbed ahold of his pants and held on. “It came back at me two more times and I just kept kicking it until it went down.”
Ferry phoned neighbors to alert them of the incident, and his wife called Animal Control. Ferry said he was worried for the safety of people’s pets, as both small and large dogs live at homes on the street.
This fox was about three feet long and residents worried about what it might do next. One came out with a machete in hand.
“I wasn’t going unarmed,” said neighbor Alex Clarke. “He had mentioned the possibility it was a bobcat, and so there was some curiosity there, but I was definitely worried about him.”
Not long after, the fox came back out onto the street and attacked Clarke too, latching onto his pants leg. Clarke used the machete to defend himself.
The fox appears to have been rabid, and Clarke, whose hand was shot, is receiving rabies shots as a precaution. Neither man was bitten during the tack.
Local
Authorities are working to test the fox for rabies and warn residents of other animals in the area that may have been affected.
