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An animal expert has cast doubt over whether a fox attacked a seven month old baby at her family home.

Raeya Wyatt's family say the baby was attacked by the animal after it snuck into through an open door of their house in West park on Tuesday.

The tot, who was treated by paramedics for minor injuries, was left with marks on her hands and feet.

Martin Hemmington, founder of the National Fox Welfare Society, said he would "not class it as an attack" and said the situation "has been blown out of proportion".

The animal expert, who has worked with foxes for almost 30 years, added that the injuries were consistent with "canine teeth".

But he emphasised that it would be impossible for any expert to tell for sure whether this was a fox attack or not.

Mr Hemmington said: "If this was a fox that caused the minor injuries, it wasn't an attack.

"I can't see how it would have been classed as an attack because foxes bite very hard."

Mr Hemmington said he has been bitten "many times" by foxes due to his job, which sees him handle foxes daily to treat their injuries.

He added that foxes "generally don't want to bite".

Mr Hemmington said: "The fact the child had minor injuries seems strange. I would have thought there would have been more damage.

"If the fox did bite I would assume the fox had thought the child had food in its hand and was trying to get to the food."

After The Herald shared the story, many readers pointed the finger at the family's pets.

While Mr Hemmington said the the bites appeared to be consistent with "canine teeth" he added that "even if a dog had attacked the child, it would have done a lot more damage than this".

He explained that when a fox goes to attack, it will do one of two things.

The fox will either "snap-bite" which causes multiple puncture wounds or they will "bite and crunch" which will normally leave broken bones, he said.

Mr Hemmington added: "A curious fox will lift its paw so there is a chance of a scratch.

"It's very strange because the two marks on the child's hand are very close together and I would assume they are canine teeth.

"If a fox grabs something, the bottom teeth would puncture."

Raeya's Granddad Darren Boundy said he was with his friend Steve in the kitchen cooking when the baby was hurt. He said he saw the fox standing next to Raeya's baby bouncer as she started "crying her eyes out".

Raeya's mum, Leanne Boundy, 27, said she received a call to say her child had been bitten by a fox and that she "didn't believe it".

Speaking to The Herald, Leanne said: "I got a call to say the fox had bitten the baby, to be honest we didn't believe it, we thought they were joking around.

"Because it was my neighbour, we knew they were being serious.

"I got my sister to have my boy so I could quickly get back.

"I got back here and my dad was obviously in tears and the baby was crying. She had all bite marks over her feet and over her hand."

Leanne said she was in "a panic" and gathered all of Raeya's things together because she thought they would have been "straight up the hospital".

The family said that they waited more than an hour for the ambulance to turn up.

But when it didn't arrive they called a second time - before a rapid-response vehicle showed up.

A tearful Leanne said: "I just know it could have been so much worse, I'm glad it wasn't.

"They checked her over again and said to me could I go up the hospital so I took her up and they gave her a tetnus jab and a weeks’ worth of antibiotics.

"I felt sick, I had phoned RSPCA twice . It killed a cat the night before.

"If it was a dog, that dog would be put down. I don't see no difference in a fox, OK it's wildlife.

"It's attacked a child and they're still not taking it."

What the RSPCA says

The RSPCA says fox attacks are "extremely unusual".

Following the incident, the RSPCA warned that "approaching, handling or cornering any wild animal is potentially hazardous" and that it could provoke an attack.

A spokesperson for the animal welfare charity said: “This must’ve been shocking and upsetting for the child and their family and we hope the child makes a full and speedy recovery.

“It's extremely unusual for foxes to attack young children - or anyone - and this is fortunately not typical fox behaviour.

“Foxes, like any wildlife, are generally wary of humans and will normally chose to run away if an escape route is available.

"We would warn people that approaching, handling or cornering any wild animal is potentially hazardous. If they are scared their natural instinct may be to retaliate.”

As an animal welfare charity the RSPCA can only help sick and injured animals or if there is a concern for their welfare.

The charity says it has limited resources and therefore "must prioritise calls to help the injured, neglected, abused and abandoned animals" that need it most.

A spokesperson added: "The most humane and long-term solution to discourage healthy foxes would be to remove or prevent access to the things that are attracting them to the area, such as food and shelter."

The charity suggests the following ways to live with foxes peacefully-

Limiting access to food sources (eg. effective waste management);

Removing, or blocking access to, places of shelter within gardens (where possible);

Utilising effective, humane deterrence methods.

Avoid approaching, handing or hand-feeding foxes.

How to stop foxes entering your garden Remove access to potential food supplies Provide food for wild birds in feeders that are less likely to spill, preventing foxes from scavenging. Protect fruit and vegetable crops – use fencing or solid weld-mesh; avoid using netting and use at least a 4cm mesh to reduce the risk of wildlife getting tangled or caught in it. Clear away any windfall fruit. Use securely sealed dustbins and composters. Keep pets such as rabbits indoors overnight, or in secure enclosures. These enclosures should have a roof and use weld-mesh instead of chicken wire for fencing. The door should be secured with a good lock that cannot be worked loose. Clear up any spilt pet food on the ground. Remove places of shelter Cut or clear any areas of long grass or dense vegetation – dense cover can provide a safe, sheltered location for a fox to lie up undisturbed during the day. Keep garage, greenhouse and shed doors closed. Prevent access to areas under sheds, as these provide an ideal location for digging an earth to raise cubs. Deter foxes from your garden Put up fencing or plant prickly plants around the garden. Use an animal repellent approved for use with foxes. Repellent products are widely available from garden centres or hardware stores. Take care to read the label and carefully follow the instructions, as each product is prepared and approved for use against certain animals in the specified way. It is illegal to use any substance to deter foxes that has not been approved for such use. What is the risk to children? Foxes are wary of people and would normally run away to avoid adults and children. They will learn to trust people who are not causing them harm and may appear quite bold – but this is unlikely to be a sign of aggression. It’s important that people do not try to hand-feed foxes or make them tame, as this may encourage foxes to approach people who may not like them and take action against them. It is possible for people and pets to get mange from foxes and dogs, but the risk from foxes is very low, as direct contact is the most likely source of infection. Another disease risk is from the roundworm (Toxocara canis) found in dog, cat and fox droppings, which can cause toxocariasis in children. Remove any faeces and use a repellent to reduce the risk of these animals fouling in your garden – but the risk of children picking up this parasite from fox droppings appears to be extremely low. If you have any concern about these and any other potential health risks from animals, contact your doctor. Further advice on humane fox deterrence can be found at www.foxproject.org.uk.



For more information on foxes go to the RSPCA website.