Fox attack in Effingham, New Hampshire: 1 injured, fox killed

Francis said it all happened in less than a minute.

They were attaching a trailer to their truck in the wide-open yard of their workshop, and the next moment a fox was clinging to Edwards’ arm. They managed to get the fox down, but it charged them again.

“We have about 80 acres. You know, we have deer. There are bear prints. We see, you know, a lot of wildlife. Certainly never anything aggressive,” Francois said.

After killing the fox, Francois, who was a nurse for 20 years, cleaned Edwards’ wound with soap, water and alcohol, then immediately took him to the hospital.

There, Edwards received six rabies vaccinations and he also requires three follow-up booster shots. New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said that’s exactly what someone should do if they encounter a wild animal that may have rabies.

“Really, time is of the essence,” said Capt. Michael Eastman of New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Rabies is usually fatal and there is no cure once symptoms appear.

Eastman said animals with rabies this time of year usually contract it while in their dens during the winter, and it takes until now to show symptoms.

Edwards still feels pretty bad, but he’ll be fine. François was not physically injured.

Francois said the game warden took the fox for testing in Concord, and she said they told her the fox tested positive for rabies.

Francois said she spotted two other foxes on her property and she and Edwards were keeping an eye on them.