Aggressive Squirrel Sends At Least Two to ER in San Rafael, California
Residents report repeated attacks in the Lucas Valley area; wildlife officials urge restraint and advise against feeding wild animals.
An unusually aggressive squirrel has sent at least two people to the emergency room in San Rafael, a Marin County city just north of San Francisco. The incidents have prompted warnings in the Lucas Valley neighborhood as authorities search for the animal.
Joan Heblack told ABC's KGO-TV that she was walking in the Lucas Valley area when the squirrel suddenly charged from the ground, clawed and bit her leg, and appeared to attack with its tail fluttering. “It clamped onto my leg. The tail was flying up here. I was like, ‘Get it off me, get off me!’” she said. Isabel Campoy also reported an attack in the same neighborhood, describing the squirrel leaping from the ground to her face and then ending up on her arm, leaving it bloody. Both women sought medical treatment at local emergency departments. Flyers have since been posted in the area warning residents that the squirrel is “no joke” and that more than five people have been attacked by a “very mean squirrel” that “comes out of nowhere.”
Vanessa Potter of WildCare, a wildlife rescue organization in San Rafael, said the aggressive behavior likely stems from the squirrel being fed and cared for by humans when it was a baby. She noted that squirrels are not vectors for rabies. Experts advise the public not to feed wild animals and to exercise caution when encountering wildlife, especially animals that appear unusually bold or aggressive.
City officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. San Rafael sits in Marin County, about 20 miles north of San Francisco, where residents are urged to report any additional sightings or incidents to local authorities and wildlife agencies.