STAFF WRITER
BRISTOL - A mailman was bit Thursday afternoon when a possibly rabid fox attacked him.
The fox was later shot and killed by animal control.
Police, an animal control officer and an ambulance crew responded shortly before 4 p.m. to 24-26 Goodwin St. after a mailman there was bitten on the calf by a fox. The victim was treated at the scene before leaving to get a rabies vaccination.
An animal control officer and police spent several minutes looking for the fox, which was hiding under the porch of the home behind latticework. After getting a clear shot, an ACO killed the fox.
The fox will be tested for rabies.
Neighbors in the area said the animal has been a problem in the neighborhood recently.
According to an ACO, the fox is believed to have had another encounter with a person who was not bitten and may have tried attacking someone’s dog. He said it’s likely the fox, which smelled like a skunk, was transmitted rabies through a skunk it had eaten.
Justin Muszynski can be reached at 860-973-1809 or at jmuszynski@centralctcommunications.com.