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June 23, 2006

An amazing story: Fox gone wild -- and rabid, too

It's the stuff of nightmares; you probably bring scary stories and childhood fears to rabies as well.

When I was a kid, a bite from a rabid animal involved a series of painful injections in the stomach with a long needle every day for 14 days. Now it's just five shots -- on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28 -- and adults can get them in the arm, kids in the thigh.

Knowing that the bite may now be worse than the treatment, here's the harrowing tale as compiled by my colleague Mike McDermott:

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- A woman and her two children -- ages 1 and 3 -- were treated at Kent Hospital today after a rabid fox bit the woman and dragged the 1-year-old boy across a lawn here.

The police said that Mary McGarry, of Johnston, was just taking her children out of her car at about 7:30 this morning when the small fox attacked. They had just arrived at 140 Brookhaven Rd.

The fox bit McGarry in the wrist and would not let go; she had to shake the fox off her wrist.

The fox then bit her leg, got her son, Aidan, by the shoe and dragged him across the lawn. McGarry struck the fox repeatedly to get it to let go.

The North Kingstown police found and killed the fox 20 minutes after receiving the call. Mary and Aidan McGarry suffered minor puncture wounds. The 3-year-old girl, Abigail, was not injured, but she was also treated for a potential rabies infection at Kent Hospital.

A woman on Peach Tree Road alerted Sgt. Steven St. Onge that the animal was on her property. He fired at the animal with his gun, but it was still alive. He and a fellow officer had to fire two more shots to kill the fox.

State veterinarian Dr. Christopher Hannifan announced later today that the fox did have rabies.

State Sen. James Sheehan told the police yesterday that he was attacked by what is now believed to have been the same fox while he was riding his bike on Blueberry Lane. He was able to get away on his bike.

Apart from that zinger at the end -- in an election year is a politician part of every news event? -- we know there's more to come.

Overnight there'll be a longer story by a bureau reporter, and I'll add the link when it's out there.

We hear tell that Projo.com now lets you read five stories before you'll be prompted to register -- and registration isn't so onerous any more, a single page. But this is hearsay to me, since I'm already registered. (Obviously, the blogs have never required it.)

If you've never registered for projo or any other Belo property, I'd be grateful if someone would volunteer to try it out later tonight or tomorrow and tell me if what I wrote above is true. We're all curious.

By then we may know more about the truly unfortunate fox and his impact on the neighborhood he's been roaming.

Later: As promised, here's the update. A bit more detail, and another victim, a cat named Marco: The politician's cat.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 6:20 PM | Permalink