EXETER — A fight-or-flight response kept an Exeter woman from being severely injured Saturday in a fight with a rabid fox.

EXETER — A fight-or-flight response kept an Exeter woman from being severely injured Saturday in a fight with a rabid fox.



On Jan. 23, Fran Hall, 65, was starting to get her life back to normal, and restarting an exercise routine, after an accident three weeks earlier. She figured it was nice weather for a walk and around 10 a.m. she traveled to the Exeter Public Library to return a DVD; she then crossed over to walk behind the Exeter Mills, continuing along the river.



Walking along a cleared path in the area of the Powder House, Hall looked up to see a fox coming toward her.



“We were just facing each other,” said Hall, who didn't know what to do. “I was afraid he'd jump on me.”



The fox continued toward Hall, walking past her on the right side. As the animal came close to Hall's side, she “shooed” him with her hand. The fox responded by grabbing and biting Hall's wrist.



“I don't know what happened at that point,” said Hall, who added that the animal didn't have a hold on her hand but was grabbing the wool glove she had on — one of a pair that was knitted for her by a friend.



With the fox somewhat disabled with a mouth-full of wool, Hall said she was able to wrestle him to the ground, holding his snout closed with one hand, her knee pinning his side and her other hand pushing down the animal's bottom.



Hall screamed for help and eventually caught the attention of a passersby, who called 911 and assisted her in pinning down the animal.



“I held it down until someone came,” Hall said. “I did not give up on that animal.”



By the time emergency personnel arrived, the fox had died, most likely from suffocation, Hall said. Her hand was bandaged before she was taken to the emergency room at Exeter Hospital. There, the wound was cleaned and she received a total of seven stitches for two lacerations. A third laceration was treated with Steri-Strips.



Exeter's Animal Control Officer sent the fox's remains to Concord where it was tested for rabies. In the meantime, Hall received her first rabies vaccination as a precaution on Saturday.



The town learned on Monday that the test did in fact come back positive. Hall is now undergoing a sequence of vaccinations, receiving the second on Tuesday, a third this Saturday, and the fourth a week from Saturday.



“I can't say that any of it was horrible,” Hall said of the vaccinations, which are given in the arm. “People should not be afraid of the vaccination if something happens. The treatment is reasonable.”



From the experience, Hall said she learned that different stories of fight or flight are real.



“It's true that when you have to do something, you do it,” she said. “The adrenaline rush is incredible. Afterwards, it seems like ‘how did you do that?' but I was afraid this animal was going to attack me in some horrible way and I had to get the best of him.”



After her experience, she advises residents to take caution.



“Animals that are rabid can be anywhere. People need to really be careful,” she said.