Israeli Army’s Latest Enemy: A Fox That Bites Overnight
17 soldiers have been rushed to the hospital after a fox or foxes entered their tents and went for their heads and feet
Seventeen Israeli soldiers were rushed to the hospital Tuesday after a fox entered their tents as they slept and bit them.
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The fox at the army base in Tzifrin southeast of Tel Aviv and possibly foxes attacked soldiers in several tents, biting them on the head or feet. All were sent to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin for fear they had contracted rabies.
The army says it does not know how the fox or foxes entered the base, which is supposed to be blocked by a fence. Some of the soldiers were afraid to return to the base for fear of being attacked again.
According to army rules, the unit commander is responsible “to prevent and limit the presence of stray or forbidden animals in his unit via fences and effective obstacles.”
In the past foxes have entered army encampments, mainly in the north, and bitten soldiers. The army prohibits the killing of a stray animal and therefore soldiers are not allowed to harm such an intruder.