An elderly Bath man fought off a possibly rabid fox for the second time since September.

88-year-old Norman Kenney has proven himself to be a pretty tough cookie. On January 3rd, he had just parked his car, when he heard something he thought was his cat. Kenney told WGME-TV that it turned out to be a large fox. He tried to beat it with his cane, but the cane kept breaking, and he was knocked to the ground. As the fox was scratching and biting his face, Kenney grabbed it around the neck and tried to strangle it, before a passerby came to his aid. Police were called, and the fox was taken away to be tested for rabies. Norman is receiving treatments, to make sure he's not infected. It was all too familiar to Kenney, who was attacked in his backyard by a fox back in September. He said that fox was smaller than the latest animal, and he was able to put his foot on its neck until police arrived.

Rabid animals, particularly foxes, have been a problem in the Bath area over the past year, with 16 positive rabies tests in 2019. Bath Police say not all of those cases involved animals attacking people or pets, but still, they encourage residents to use caution when encountering wildlife and try to prevent having any outdoor food sources in their neighborhoods, including compost piles or accessible garbage. Pets should also be kept up-to-date on their rabies vaccines.

Anyone who sees a suspicious-acting animal is urged to contact police or animal control immediately. More rabies information can be found on the City of Bath's website and the website for the Maine Center for Disease Control.

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