Three-year-old boy bitten by fox at school playground party

By Daily Mail Reporter

The fox is believed to have been under this building within Dorothy Stringer School when it was approached by the child


A three-year old boy has been attacked by a fox in a school plaground.

The child was bitten on the arm during a party at Dorothy Stringer High School in Brighton, East Sussex, at midday on Saturday.

It is believed the child, who has not been named, saw and stroked the tail of an animal which was sticking out from under a temporary building when it turned on him.

Relatives took the boy to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton where he was treated and released.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: 'Police were called by South East Coast Ambulance Service at 12.30pm on Saturday 19 June after a report of a boy being bitten by a fox.

'Police called the RSPCA and an inspector attended.'


Trevor Weeks, founder of the charity East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, called for a proportionate response to the attack


He said: 'It has been known for years by the educational authorities that foxes live under such makeshift buildings at schools, so it should come as no surprise that there was a fox present.

'The fox did not attack the child - it was defending itself. There is a significant difference.

'Any wild animal is going to turn round and bite if you grab its tail.'

He added: 'Foxes are actually beneficial in residential areas as they help keep the rat and mice population down. They carry no more diseases than a pet cat or dog.

'We do, however, warn against people regularly overfeeding wildlife as this can cause a natural imbalance in some localised areas and as a result neighbours call in pest control and then it's the foxes which suffer at the hands of human kindness.

'Foxes do not go round attacking each other, let alone people.'

The incident comes a fortnight after nine-month-old twins Isabella and Lola Koupparis were attacked after a fox crept into their upstairs bedroom in Hackney, east London.


The twins savaged by a fox as they lay in their cots smiled for the cameras yesterday in their first family picture since the attack. Nine-month-olds Isabella and Lola Koupparis - with arms heavily bandaged and facial scars visible 15 days after the incident - were with parents Nick and Pauline and brother Max


It is thought to have got in through a door on the ground floor of the smart three-storey house, which was left open because of the hot weather, while the children's parents watched Britain's Got Talent on television.

Both girls have since been discharged from hospital. The twins' four-year-old brother, Max, who was also sleeping upstairs, was not hurt in the attack.

An RSPCA spokesman said: 'Foxes are shy creatures and will usually avoid contact with people.

'We offer our sincere condolences to the child and family concerned and wish for a speedy recovery.

'If people have issues with foxes they should contact their local authority or a licensed pest controller.

'To discourage foxes, they should also ensure any rubbish and household waste left out is secure and not open for scavenging.

'There is also further information on our website about how to deter foxes from a particular area.'


source: dailymail