Likely ‘rabid' fox bites hiker 6 times in rare attack
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – Michelle Danos, a Texas State University student, said she went to a lower Purgatory Creek trail Sunday evening to clear her head.
'I got off work, thought maybe I want to go on a hike,' she said.
Fox reportedly attacks at least four in San Marcos, prompting rabies concerns
She walked toward a field of blooming Prairie coneflowers when she heard rustling behind her.
'It was a fox,' Danos said. 'It just started walking towards me.'
While it wasn't foaming at the mouth or charging at her, Danos said she knew something was off as it began approaching her. Foxes generally are elusive and keep to themselves.
'It got behind me and ended up biting my ankle,' she said.
Danos tried running away, hitting it with rocks, and physically throwing the fox, but it kept returning to attack her. She finally escaped after throwing the fox into a cactus. She got bitten six times and lost her cellphone in the attack.
'I've had a lot of [rabies] shots,' she said. 'I have to get more tomorrow, and then seven days, and then 14 days. So it's a process.'
The fox, which officials are pretty sure was rabid, bit several people on Sunday. Natasia Moore, an urban biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said fox attacks in Texas are exceedingly rare.
'It's not typical behavior,' Moore said. 'This [is] the first case of a fox attack in Texas that I know of to date.'
Moore went with crews on Monday to the Purgatory Creek Natural Area to investigate the incident. Officials were interested in finding out if there was denning activity in the area, which could have been a cause for the aggression.
'In urban areas, if an animal is showing aggression, it can be because they are protecting a den site,' Moore said. 'We did not see any fox activity.'
'Unfortunately, [a rabies infection] is looking like the most likely scenario,' Moore continued. '
Raccoon in San Marcos tests positive for rabies, residents urged to vaccinate pets
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rabies is 'a fatal but preventable viral disease' that can spread between people and animals through bites and scratches. The disease can cause severe brain disease and death if not treated before symptoms start.
As of Tuesday evening, the fox had not been located. Officials told Nexstar's KXAN that if it has rabies, it likely will die soon, if not already dead.
Pet owners should vaccinate their pets against rabies, which is essential in preventing the spread of the virus and is required by state law, the city said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
5 hours ago
8 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in shooting near aid distribution center, Gaza officials say
Israel i troops shot and killed at least eight Palestinians near a humanitarian aid distribution center in the Rafah, Gaza, early Saturday, according to hospital officials and Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health. The deadly shooting occurred at the Al-Alam roundabout near an aid center west of Rafah city at around 6 a.m. local time, according to the health ministry. The area is approximately 1 kilometer from an aid distribution center, which the Israel Defense Forces considers an active combat zone during the night when the site is closed. The Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation -- which is running aid distribution in Gaza -- closed its aid distribution sites on Friday, without giving a date on when they would reopen. Palestinians in Gaza remain at risk of extreme starvation and famine, the United Nations and other aid groups have warned. Since May 27, when the aid distribution centers were established, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more have been wounded while trying to collect food from the sites, Gaza's Hamas-run Government Media Office said. The Nasser Medical Complex received four out of the eight deceased victims from the incident so far, a source at the hospital told ABC News. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has not responded to ABC News' request for comment. The Israel Defense Forces said it "is aware of the reports of casualties." "Despite prior warnings that the area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours, several suspects attempted to approach IDF troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight (Saturday), in a manner that posed a threat to the troops," the IDF told ABC News when asked for comment. "The troops called out to the suspects to drive them away, but as they continued advancing in a way that endangered the troops, the soldiers responded with warning shots." Reverend Dr. Johnnie Moore, the new chairman of GHF, told ABC News this week the organization "can't control what happens outside" the distribution points and added that there have been incidents, "as one would expect, in a war, outside of our distribution sites." According to Moore, GHF -- since it was set up 10 days ago -- had distributed "10 million meals to Gazans, to thousands and thousands and thousands of people." The GHF has not specified what it defines as a single "meal."
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Apple Valley woman latest to be charged in Feeding our Future fraud
An Apple Valley woman is the 72nd person federally charged for her role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson announced on Friday. Dorothy Jean Moore, 57, of Apple Valley, was charged in a federal indictment with three counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, Thompson said in a news release. According to the release, Moore launched two purported federal child nutrition program sites in late 2020 under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Moore completed and signed meal count forms, claiming to have served 1,500 meals to children each day at each of her sites, which she said she operated out of community churches. Moore claimed and received reimbursements for those meals through the Feeding Our Future program, the release said. In addition, she said she operated a catering company called Jean's Soul Food and claimed additional federal reimbursements for food from that company used at the other sites. The release cited her bank records, saying they show she used 'little of the reimbursement dollars she received to purchase food. Instead, Moore used those funds for other purposes, including to purchase cars and fund an enhanced lifestyle.' She is the 72nd Minnesotan charged with defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture's child nutrition programs during the pandemic, when regulations temporarily were loosened and a variety of businesses and nonprofits were allowed to help feed hungry kids while schools were closed. Federal prosecutors have called the scheme the nation's largest coronavirus pandemic fraud, amounting to more than $250 million. 'This fraud is outrageous, brazen, and seemingly never-ending,' said Thompson in the release. 'Stealing from a program designed to feed vulnerable children is not only criminal — it's unconscionable,' said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. Moore made her initial appearance in U.S. District Court Friday. Brooklyn Center attorney suspended by Minnesota Supreme Court U.S. Customs Border Protection officer charged with possessing child porn Man once convicted in Minnesota of supporting al-Qaida is now charged in Canada for alleged threats Jury finds Milwaukee man guilty of killing and dismembering 19-year-old woman 'We feel relief': Derrick Thompson found guilty in Minneapolis crash that killed five young women
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Memorial Day weekend records most boating while intoxicated charges in 5 years
TYLER, Texas (KETK) — Texas game wardens saw the highest number of boating while intoxicated charges and responded to several boating collisions this past Memorial Day weekend, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) said. Disturbance call at Cascades subdivision leads to officer-involved shooting in Tyler Memorial Day weekend is a holiday meant to honor and celebrate the lives of military personal who lost their lives while fighting for our freedom. However, some Americans can take the celebration too far and when alcohol is combined with getting behind the wheel of a boat, it sometimes leads to bad outcomes. The Texas game wardens witnessed these outcomes this past Memorial Day weekend. 48 packages of hydroponic marijuana seized during East Texas traffic stop 'Our wardens don't just patrol the water, they serve wherever they're needed,' TPWD law enforcement director Colonel Ron VanderRoest said. 'This weekend was a good example of the depth of their commitment to public safety, responding in severe weather, major fire incidents and high-risk law enforcement situations.' The Texas game wardens took care of business as they conducted over 10,000 vessel checks along with issuing more than a thousand warnings and citations. Wardens also saw more serious charges including 53 boating while intoxicated, seven driving while intoxicated and 21 other arrest. Six boating collisions were reported with one them resulting in a death at Grapevine Lake. Two drownings were reported at Red River and Elmendorf Lake along with a 5-year-old girl who was recued after being blown away on an inflatable tube at the Falcon International Reservoir, according to TPWD. Online East Texas predator sentenced after sexual relationship with out-of-state minor 'When alcohol, crowded waterways and severe weather are in the mix, the risk of incidents can rise fast,' Texas Parks and Wildlife Department assistant commander for marine enforcement Cody Jones said. 'That's why we prioritize presence, visibility and swift response. We can't be everywhere at once, so we need the public to meet us halfway by boating responsibly. We are thankful for everyone who did over the holiday weekend.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
