The Peninsula Health District is advising residents in the Lakeside neighborhood near the Mariner’s Museum to be on the lookout for a brownish-red, bushy tailed fox about 2 feet in height that bit a person on April 14, 2014.
The bite occurred near the Lakeside neighborhood in the Mariner’s Museum area in Newport News.
The victim has started post exposure treatment (shots) for the prevention of rabies.
If the fox is found and positively identified as the one biting the victim, and found not to be rabid, the victim may be able to cease taking the shots. Therefore, anyone seeing an animal that fits this description in this area is asked to contact the Peninsula Health District – Newport News Environmental Health Office at (757) 594-7340. After hours, please contact the Newport News Park Rangers or Newport News Animal Control by calling the police non-emergency telephone number at (757) 247-2500.
Residents are reminded to report all wild animal bites and scratches to their physicians and the health departments, enjoy wildlife from a distance, and make sure their family pets are vaccinated and protected against the rabies virus.
