The fox attack, the fourth in a week, injured Gouse as he was outside his Cooley Street home with his baby boy.
Larry Gousse of Agawam was attacked by a fox as he stood in the driveway of his Agawam home. The fox was killed by Gousse's landlord, who used a shovel to beat the animal.AGAWAM – An Agawam man was injured after a fox clamped down on his leg and wouldn't let go, prompting people to come his aid and kill the animal.
Larry Gousse is recovering after being bitten on his lower left leg Friday at his Cooley Street home. The fox was killed and its carcass is being tested for rabies, according to officials.
The attack was the region's fourth case involving a fox within a week. A fox was killed after attacking two people and a dog in separate incidents in Pittsfield on May 4. The fox bit a 14-year-old girl, an 84-year-old woman and a dog before it was captured and put down by wildlife officials.
In the Agawam case, Gousse was attacked in broad daylight as he stood in his driveway with his infant son nearby. "It was a really horrific scene. It was terrible," he told abc40 news.
Gousse told 22News that his girlfriend's brother was present at the time of the attack and used a screwdriver to stab the fox. Gousses's landlord also assisted, using a shovel to hit the animal several times before eventually killing it.
Healthy foxes will generally stay away from people. But a fox that behaves erratically or approaches humans may be sick and should be avoided, according to state officials, who are testing the Agawam carcass for rabies.
In the Berkshire County case, animal control officials said they believed the same fox was responsible for all three Pittsfield attacks. The animal was located and shot on May 5, and its carcass was sent to a state lab to determine if it had rabies.
Gousse and the other two victims are undergoing rabies treatment as a precaution. Gousse is "really sore from all the shots," according to a post by his girlfriend on the couple's Facebook page.
Material from 22News, abc40, the Associated Press and The Republican was used in this report.