A fox has bitten a camper in the Catalina Mountains โ the second fox bite incident in the range north of Tucson since May 14 โ state wildlife officials reported Tuesday.
โWe just got word that a man was bitten by a fox in the Wilderness of Rocks in the Catalinas on May 19,โ said Mark Hart, spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. โThe man was in his sleeping bag. He woke up to see a fox approaching. He kicked it, and the fox bit him.โ
The location โwas where the Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail intersects with the Wilderness of Rocks Trail,โ an area popular with hikers.
Hart said the fox got away.
โWe canโt tell whether the fox was rabid,โ he said. โFoxes are common carriers of rabies, but absent a dead fox, we canโt test for rabies.โ
The bite victim is receiving medical help for a bite that broke the skin, and rabies treatment is likely, Hart said.
The fox that bit a 12-year-old Tucson boy at Rose Canyon Lake in the Catalinas on May 14 also got away. That victim received treatment for rabies.
Hart said wildlife officers plan to post signs at some trailheads warning people about the possibility of rabid foxes.
The fox bites are among several recent incidents involving potentially dangerous wildlife, including bear encounters in the Catalinas and sightings of mountain lions in Sabino Canyon northeast of Tucson.
