LEBANON – Two additional animal attacks have occurred in the area surrounding Centerra Parkway since Sunday, when a man was caught off guard in a parking lot by a critter that wouldn’t run away after clawing at his leg.
Authorities believe the two additional attacks involve the same animal, with the most recent incident occurring Monday evening, the Lebanon Police Department stated in a news release Tuesday.
“The animal has been described by witnesses as either a gray fox or a fisher and has reportedly displayed unusually aggressive behavior toward people,” according to the news release.
On Sunday around noon, a man was loading items into his vehicle in a parking lot off Lafayette Street near the tennis courts when the first attack happened, the Valley News previously reported. The animal didn’t retreat until the man kicked it, police said.
“The reported incidents have occurred in the area of the River Valley Club and the Courtyard by Marriott, Lebanon Police Chief Phillip Roberts stated in an email to the Valley News on Tuesday. “We have notified New Hampshire Fish and Game and requested their assistance and they said they will check the area as well.”
One of the newly reported attacks occurred at around 9 p.m. on Monday, Roberts said, and “the woman involved reportedly went to the hospital for treatment, although I do not know the extent of her injuries at this time.”
In a third reported attack, Roberts said, the other individual “was able to kick the animal away before being bitten or scratched.”
Police, in coordination with New Hampshire Fish and Game, have been searching the area on foot, along with flying a drone overhead.
So far, he said, authorities have not been able to locate the animal, but they will continue to monitor the area.
“We have reviewed video footage, but it is difficult to determine from the video exactly what type of animal it is,” he said. “Witness descriptions have also varied, with several people describing it as a gray fox and others believing it may be a fisher.”
Lebanon police officers have not personally observed or encountered the animal, Roberts said. Neither has the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, conservation officer Eric Brown said in a Tuesday phone interview.
“We can’t really know or identify the animal yet,” Brown said, though he initially told the Valley News he was “pretty positive” the animal was a gray fox based on conversations with witnesses.
He was, however, confident that the same animal was involved in all three incidents so far. Brown was unaware of whether any injuries were sustained in the latest incidents.
New Hampshire Fish and Game is coordinating with the Lebanon Police Department in response to the incidents.
“We’re just keeping an eye on the area,” he said. “If people report certain locations, that helps us narrow down where (the animal) is or where it’s hanging out.”
Police warned against approaching or attempting to capture or feed the animal.
“Anyone who observes a fox, fisher, or other wild animal behaving aggressively, unusually, or approaching people should move to a safe location and contact the Lebanon Police Department immediately,” police said.
Officers urged people to be particularly aware of their surroundings when “walking near wooded, brush-covered or other areas where wildlife may be present.”
The man involved in the first attack on Sunday was uninjured, the Valley News reported on Monday, though New Hampshire Fish and Game recommended that he undergo rabies treatment as a precaution. Rabies cannot be diagnosed until an animal is dead and its body is tested.
Those with questions about rabies or concerns that they’ve been exposed should contact their medical providers or call the New Hampshire Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at 603-271-4496. People who find or suspect they’ve seen an animal with rabies can call New Hampshire Fish and Game dispatch at 603-271-3361.
