BATH — A 53-year-old Bath man was attacked by a grey fox while working in the backyard of a residence at 305 Washington St. shortly before noon Sunday.

The man was scratched and bitten on his legs, said Bath Deputy Police Chief Andrew Booth. The fox was found and killed by Bath police.

The man was examined by Bath first responders and drove himself to the hospital, Booth said.

The fox’s body will be sent to the Health and Environmental Testing Lab in Augusta for rabies testing Monday, Booth said. Police should get the results within two days.

The home where the attack happened is located between the South End Dog Park and the Maine Maritime Museum, and less than a mile from the last fox attack in the city.

This marks the third person in Bath attacked by a fox this year. Retired Bath Fire Chief Norman Kenney, 87, was attacked by a fox in early September while behind his house on Getchell Street — a couple of blocks north of Maine Maritime Museum.

Because he was able to kill the fox before it punctured his skin, the fox was not tested for rabies. Police said they suspected the animal had rabies because a healthy fox does not attack humans.

A month earlier, a rabid fox attacked a 6-year-old girl on Bumpy Hill Road in Bath which is about 1.6 miles from the most recent incident.

Julia Davis of Bath was playing outside at a friend’s house when the fox attacked and chased her into the home. Davis was bitten on the leg before the homeowner chased the fox outside, where it was killed by the homeowner’s dog. The fox tested positive for rabies.

Rabies is a viral disease that infects the nervous system of mammals. It is transmitted primarily through bites and exposure to saliva or spinal fluid from an infected animal. The disease, which is ultimately fatal, attacks the nervous system, making the infected animal unusually aggressive.

According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a dozen wild animals in Bath have tested positive for rabies this year as of Monday. Four of them were foxes.

The number spiked from the two rabies cases seen last year. No animals tested positive for rabies in 2017 in Bath.

Booth again reminded residents to pay attention to their surroundings, call the police if they see an animal acting suspicious and to keep their pets vaccinated against rabies. Anyone who is bitten by an animal should get medical attention, he said.

This story will be updated.

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