Savaged: Ten-month-old Lola-Mae Knowles holds out a bandaged hand after she was attacked by a ferret while out with her mother Chloe (right) in BurnleyA baby girl needed hospital treatment after she was savaged in her pram by a ferret.
Ten-month-old Lola-Mae Knowles screamed in pain as the foot-long animal leapt on her and sank its teeth into her finger.
Her frantic mother Chloe, 21, shouted for help and two firefighters who were driving past managed to pull the vicious animal away. The youngster suffered puncture wounds on her finger and had X-rays to check the bite had not damaged the bone.
Her hand has been bandaged and she has been given antibiotics to prevent infection.
Chloe, of Burnley, Lancashire, said: 'This is not something you expect to happen every day. 'I was just walking to my mum's house when it popped out of the bush.
'Initially, I didn't know what it was as I haven't seen a ferret before, but then it jumped into Lola's pram.
'Razor-sharp teeth': Doctors feared the ferret bite had damaged Lola-Mae's bone'I honestly didn't know what to do, I didn't want to make it more angry or cause even more damage by pulling it off. It had clamped itself on to Lola's finger.
'She was just screaming in pain.
'I froze. All I could do was shout and plead for help from the people in the houses watching me, but no one came out to help.'
Firefighters Pete Harvey and Faz Patel came to Lola-Mae's aid near the Knowles's home in Barden Lane, Burnley.
Mr Harvey said: 'One minute I was driving and the next Faz was telling me to pull over as something wasn't right.
'We jumped out of the car and saw the light brown, minky-coloured ferret clamped on to the baby's finger.
'I think it must have been wild, it was ferocious.
'We spent about 25 minutes fighting to keep away. But it just kept coming back for more. It had hard sharp teeth and glaring eyes. It was doing everything it could to get passed me and Faz and back to the baby.
Panic: Young mother Chloe, 21, and her daughter were on their way to visit Lola-Mae's grandmother when the creature leapt from a bush'All I can say is that it must have been hungry as it didn't want to give up without a fight.'
Eventually, the animal gave up and ran off after the attack at 2.30pm on Wednesday.
Teaching assistant Chloe believes it could be an escaped pet.
She said: 'I hope it was someone's pet and not a wild animal - that would be a really scary thought.
'I already feel nervous about going out alone with Lola-Mae. I can't remember for sure if it was wearing a collar but I am pretty certain it was.
Tenacious: A local RSPCA worker said baby Lola-Mae had 'a very lucky escape' as ferrets are known for clinging on with their sharp teeth
She added: 'I just hope it gets caught because it was truly terrifying.'
Steve Carpenter, deputy manager at the nearby Altham RSPCA Centre, said: 'It sounds to me as this little girl has had a very lucky escape.
'Everyone knows ferrets have razor sharp teeth and that they like to cling on.
'Ferrets are domesticated animals and not wild animals so this one has been either left behind or it has escaped from its owner.
'I would urge anyone who spots a ferret to contact their local RSPCA inspector so it can be collected.'
source: dailymail
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