Gray Fox Suspected of Attacking Five Was Rabid

Testing has confirmed that a gray fox suspected of attacking five people in Southern Maine had rabies. Those who came in contact with the animal have been notified and will need to seek treatment.

The attacks began at six o'clock Tuesday morning when a man reported that the fox had jumped through the window of his pickup truck and bit him on the arm. The man's truck was sitting in the parking lot of the Home Depot in South Portland.

Authorities believe the fox later attacked a jogger, bit a homeless man and woman who were camping in nearby woods, and chased another man into an office building. It was there that the animal was cornered and trapped until authorities could pick it up.

The fox was destroyed and then taken to the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, where it tested positive for rabies. Police are now concerned that the fox may have infected other animals in the area.