AUBURN — Police and wildlife officials are on the lookout for a possibly rabid fox that attacked an 89-year-old woman on Nov. 4 and was reported to have since attacked several dogs.

Last Friday, the woman was walking on Old Carriage Road in the afternoon when she was attacked by the animal. The woman’s daughter, Joline Chabot Betsch, posted on Facebook on Thursday to caution area residents that the fox may still be in the area.

“My mom was fiercely attacked Friday afternoon as she was walking out of her home at Old Carriage Estates,” she wrote. “She was pulled to the ground but was extremely fortunate to have neighbors nearby to assist her. It took the tenacity of one of the women to beat the fox off of her with a metal rod because he would not let go.”

When police arrived at the scene, the fox was no longer in the area, according to Auburn police Lt. Anthony Harrington. The matter was referred to the Maine Wardens Service. A short time later, Harrington said, a caller reported that his dogs had been attacked by a fox near the walking trails at Granite Mills Estates.

The 89-year-old who was mauled is said to have fought the fox as it attacked. She was recovering this week from various injuries suffered in the attack.

“She is on the road to recovery,” Chabot Betsch wrote, “however the wounds to her hands and feet will take some time to heal and of course, she has to go through the course of treatment against rabies. At 89, she still has a lot of fight in her and did everything she could to choke the damn thing!”

In all, Chabot Betsch said, her mother suffered 21 puncture wounds on her hands, lower legs and feet.

According to Harrington, no reports of fox attacks have come in since that attack. However, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, a police officer captured an “aggressive orange male cat” that was found in the area of Hotel Road and Clover Lane. The cat was taken to the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston.

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