A mother has described the moment a fox broke into her home and bit her baby daughter's head in the middle of the night. Mum-of-two Carly Clarkson had fallen asleep while feeding three-month-old Josephine, but was woken by the animal sniffing her face. She then noticed blood around her baby lying beside her.
Carly, 37, screamed as she realised her baby had suffered four puncture wounds to the head. She picked up her baby and chased the fox to the top of the stairs, before checking on her one-year-old daughter in another room. She said she had left the back door of their home in Watford, Hertfordshire, open before the attack.
Mother's shock and hospital visit
Carly said: 'Imagine waking up and your child's blood is next to you. It was absolutely horrifying.' She described Josephine's injuries as looking 'like a dog had bitten a football'.
She took her baby to Watford General Hospital at around 9.45pm on August 20, where staff found no fractures to Josephine's skull or any indication of brain damage. Carly said it was fortunate there had been no wounds to an artery in the leg or Josephine's face, possibly due to the position they had fallen asleep in. She suggested the fox may have been trying to pull her daughter away.
Ongoing fear and fox behaviour
The mum is now scared to use her garden or leave doors open with her daughters around. She said: 'I feel absolutely violated. I don't feel safe in my home with two young children. Clearly there is an issue of either the same fox or multiple foxes being fed or just really acclimatising and becoming comfortable with people.'
As they left for the hospital, Carly and her husband saw a fox – possibly the same animal – approach them at the front door and seemingly try to get in. CCTV from the garden shows what they believe to be the animal wandering around moments before its entrance. They reported the incident to Watford Borough Council and investigated privately, eventually acquiring £300 worth of pellets that may deter foxes.
Expert insight and advice
Carly claims the foxes in the area are becoming 'out of control' and has been in touch with The Fox Project for help. She said: 'I was very lucky that we came away with just needing some tetanus shots and some antibiotics. I would hate to find out that in a week or in a few weeks' time someone else isn't so lucky.'
Trevor Williams, founder of The Fox Project, said this is the first incident of its kind in more than a decade. He said: 'It's pretty clear to me that this incident involves a young cub. Experienced adult foxes would never behave in this way and will always avoid putting themselves in such a vulnerable position. We're at the point of the year when annual dispersal is taking place and this year's fox families are breaking up – cubs being around four and a half months. For most, their natural instincts kick in quickly, and they will avoid immediate human proximity. But there will always be a few who find themselves wandering through open doors into homes or businesses as they investigate unfamiliar territory.'
He recommended keeping doors closed and using non-toxic repellents to deter foxes.
