95-Year-Old Maine Man Kills Rabid Fox With Wooden Plank

An elderly Maine man had a scary encounter with a rabid fox on Monday, June 25, which ended in him beating the animal to death.

Sometimes, all you need is a wooden plank to survive an unexpected brush with a wild animal.

Close Encounters

According to The Times Record, Robert Galen, 95, has lived in his home in Breckan Road in Brunswick, Maine for over 50 years. He shares the menagerie with a great variety of creatures, so he's used to seeing animals when he's out and about.

However, a close encounter with a fox just outside his resident triggered his defensive instincts instantly.

Last Monday afternoon, Galen was occupied with repairs on his deck when he dropped a number of planks on the ground. He reached down to pick it up and when he raised his head, an adult fox was less than 2 feet away with its eyes trained toward him.

"I'd been aware of the rabies incidents in Brunswick, so I almost instinctively hit this animal on the head with the club I had, fortunately, [in] my hand," he said.

The Brunswick native did not even wait for the fox to make the first move of attack.

"Any fox or raccoon or skunk that approaches a human being within a foot and a half is abnormal," Galen explains.

The tussle went on for 10 minutes, which included the 95-year-old falling on his back and even getting bitten on the foot. Fortunately, the bite did not penetrate the sock or the skin.

The next day, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the fox tested positive for rabies.

Galen, who did not want to kill an innocent creature, was relieved to hear that he made the right decision to fight.

Rabid Animal Attacks

Foxes have been particularly aggressive as of late in Brunswick as this latest incident is the third fox attack in the town in the past 10 days.

Last Sunday, June 17, Barbara Senecal, 72, was also attacked by a fox that later tested positive for rabies, a separate report from The Times Record reveals. Neighbor Phillip Allred came to help her fight back the animal. Both of them sustained injuries from the tussle.

Just a few days before this incident, a woman let her dog outside, where it got into a fight with a skunk. Animal Control officers euthanized the skunk, discovering it has rabies.

Police officers advise Brunswick residents to keep an eye out for animals behaving strangely, report incidents, avoid approaching wildlife, and vaccinate pets.