Onslow County child attacked by Rabid Fox

JACKSONVILLE, N.C.-  Two rabid animals have attacked people and pets in Onslow County this month alone, and counties officials are asking that residents be aware of their surroundings when venturing outside.

Tyna Chavez’s 4-year-old son was one of the victims.   

Chaves says she taught her kids not to talk to strangers and to look both ways before crossing the street, but when it comes to rabies, that's one lesson that never crossed her mind.

"I live in the city limits i didn't know that i had to worry about a rabid animal, no, it didn't occur to me," said Chavez. 

Around 3 p.m. on June 3, she and her dog Sasha walked out into her front yard, and that's when she saw a fox, and it lunged for her dog.

"My dog came face to face with it, but they didn't fight for very long because it hurt her," said Chavez, who grabbed a stick to try to fight the fox away from her dog. 

“I wacked it off of my dog, and then it saw my son come out on the porch,” she described. “It just locked eyes with my son and just went right for his foot and shook it like a ragdoll.”

Thankfully, both her son and her dog are ok.

The very next day, Onslow County Animal Control responded to another report of a rabid animal in Richlands. This time it was a raccoon.

Kenny Grey lives in that neighborhood where the attack took place.  He told us that over the past few days he's had several encounters with what he thinks might be a rabid fox.

“He just came trotting up, like he wasn't going to stop just like he was a dog,’ said Grey.  "I've always heard an animal, if he has rabies, he'll not act normal. for me to see a fox come up real close is not being normal," Grey said. 

Nine on Your Side talked with Onslow County spokesperson Lisa Whitman-Grice.

She offered the following advice when dealing with rabid animals. 

"You definitely want to avoid those animals and exercise extreme caution,” she said.  “And if you are a pet owner, make sure that your pet’s rabies vaccination is up to date.”

Whitman-Grice said the key thing to remember is that animals who have rabies usually act differently, for example they might approach you or have a glazed over look in their eyes

Onslow County officials say it’s very important for parents to teach their children about rabies and make sure that kids understand to avoid contact with any wild animals.  If you see an animal that you suspect may have rabies to immediately call animal control and let them know.

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JACKSONVILLE, N.C.- Onslow County animal control says that there have been two confirmed reports of Rabin animals in the past week alone.

On June 2, a fox attacked a 4-year-old and the child’s dog on the porch of their Jacksonville home.

Animal Control along with the Jacksonville police caught the fox. 

The next day in a Richlands neighborhoods a raccoon tried to attack a woman.  The raccoon was killed by witness the attack.

Both the fox and the raccoon tested positive for rabies.

“It’s very important for everyone to make sure they stay away from stray animals, especially if they are acting in an unusual way,” said Lisa Whitman-Grice, spokesperson with Onslow County. “It’s also important for pet owners to make sure their animals have proper vaccinations.”

Whitman-Grice said the child is being treated and is expected to recover.  The dog who was attacked had a current rabies vaccination and is expected to recover as well.