Fox chews chunk off man’s ear
HE may look docile trapped in a cage, but this fox not only terrorised a village, he has a taste for human flesh.
The creature chewed chunks from a man’s ear as he rested on a bench in Storrington, West Sussex, and also attacked a schoolgirl, a Tesco delivery driver and shoppers leaving the local Waitrose store.
The fox, nicknamed John Lewis for his tendency to lurk around Waitrose, is believed to have toxoplasmosis, which can make foxes lose all sense of fear.
His main victim, 24, has pieces missing from his left ear and was heard screaming in agony during the attack. The man, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It was pretty horrific. I fell asleep on the bench as I’d been out drinking and then next thing I know I’ve got this searing pain in my ear.
‘The fox was tugging and it hurt like mad. It’s in a bad way. I’m going to have to have plastic surgery to rebuild it.’ Passers-by chased the fox away and the man was taken to hospital for treatment.
After two days, the fox was trapped in a cage yesterday and is now undergoing health checks by the National Fox Welfare Society.
One woman who helped catch him said he was ill and simply desperate for food. She added: ‘The fox just kept going for people all over the place. Eventually, he just walked into the cage and curled up. It was completely disorientated. It couldn’t hunt for itself. It wasn’t chasing people to attack, it was just desperate for food.’
Toxoplasmosis, the most prominent disease carried by foxes, is caused by a parasite and affects the nervous system, including the eyes, kidneys, brain and blood.