2 recovering after rabid fox attack in Cumberland County

STEDMAN, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A 74-year-old woman and her young granddaughter are recovering after they were attacked and bitten by a rabid fox in Stedman.

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It happened Tuesday morning in the 7300 block of Clinton Road as she was leaving the house and preparing to take her granddaughter to school.

"My van was parked behind this car in my driveway parked in this area," said Betty McCall, who was bitten by the fox.

McCall was getting out of her vehicle when the fox circled her legs before biting her twice on the left ankle.

"It was about this size," said McCall, measuring out the width of the fox with her hands. "It was a grown fox, I'm sure. It's hard to say how painful it was because it all happened so fast. I could tell and feel something had bit me."

One of McCall's granddaughters was already in the car. She managed to escape the rabid animal by running back into the house. Another granddaughter, 10-year-old Rebecca Monzingo, walked outside to see what the commotion was all about. The fox bit her arm and scratched her legs.

"I noticed it was bleeding, so I ran inside. I was focused on getting a paper towel to wipe the blood off," Rebecca said.

Stedman Police were called to the home and killed the fox.

The fox was picked up by animal control and taken to the State Public Health Lab in Raleigh where it was tested and confirmed to have the disease.

Police note that this is the second case of rabies in the county since January 1.

McCall and her granddaughter rushed to the ER where they were given a series of shots to treat the virus.

In all the 40 years McCall has lived in Stedman, she said she had never seen a fox before this incident. She's hoping to never see one again.

"Be aware of stray animals or anything," she said.

As a reminder, all pet owners are urged to check the vaccination status of their pets. If pets are not vaccinated or are due for a booster shot, they should be taken to a local veterinarian for a rabies vaccination.