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July 3, 2008

Fox that bit Kingston woman tests positive for rabies

The fox that bit the vicar of a Kingston church twice yesterday morning has tested positive for rabies, according to the state Department of Health.

Jennifer Phillips will undergo a battery of five shots over the next four weeks, said Annemarie Beardsworth, spokeswoman for the department.

Phillips, 56, was in her garden at 106 Bayberry Rd. around 10:30 a.m. when the fox came at her from 20 feet away and bit her in the calf, Capt. Jeffrey Allen said.

It then bit her on her ring finger after she fell to the ground while trying to hit it away, said Gail Mastrati, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Management. The fox ran into the woods, but returned again.

A DEM officer shot the fox, which was described as slight and skinny, at a neighbor’s property about 50 yards away, Mastrati said. Its body was taken to the state Department of Health, where it was being tested for rabies. Results were expected this morning.

Phillips, a reverend at St. Augustine Episcopal Church, on the University of Rhode Island campus, was treated at South County Hospital.

CORRECTION: The original headline on this blog item was incorrect.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 11:44 AM | Permalink

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Hickok | July 3, 2008 12:24 PM link

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