Carly Clarkson, 37, was asleep next to her three-month-old daughter Josephine when a fox crept into their Watford, Hertfordshire home and bit the baby's head. The mother was woken by the animal sniffing her face and then spotted blood around her child, discovering four puncture wounds on the infant's head.
Clarkson had fallen asleep while feeding Josephine and was startled awake by the fox. She screamed, grabbed her daughter, and chased the animal to the top of the stairs before rushing to check on her one-year-old daughter in another room. The back door to the home had been left open.
Hospital Visit Confirms No Fractures
Clarkson took Josephine to Watford General Hospital at approximately 9.45pm on Thursday, August 20. Medical staff confirmed there were no fractures to the baby's skull and no concerns regarding her brain. The mother described the four puncture wounds as looking "like a dog had bitten a football."
Clarkson believes the wounds could have been much worse if not for the position in which they had fallen asleep. She suggested the fox may have been attempting to drag her daughter away, and noted the injuries could have been to the face or an artery in the leg.
Mother Says She Feels 'Violated'
Speaking about the ordeal, Clarkson said: "Imagine waking up and your child's blood is next to you. It was absolutely horrifying." She added: "I feel absolutely violated. I don't feel safe in my home with two young children."
The mother-of-two expressed concern that foxes in the neighbourhood are becoming "out of control," suggesting that either a single fox or multiple foxes are being fed or have become acclimatised to people. As the family left for the hospital, Clarkson and her husband spotted a fox - potentially the same animal - approaching them directly at the front door and apparently attempting to enter.
CCTV footage from the garden captures what the family believes to be the creature prowling around moments before it got inside. The incident was reported to Watford Borough Council, and the couple explored private options, but the only solution available was £300 pellets that might help repel foxes. Clarkson has also reached out to The Fox Project for assistance.
Expert Says Incidents Are 'Very Rare'
Trevor Williams, founder of The Fox Project, said such incidents are exceptionally uncommon, with nothing similar occurring in more than a decade. He said: "It's pretty clear to me that this incident involves a young cub. Experienced adult foxes would never behave in this way and will always avoid putting themselves in such a vulnerable position."
Williams explained that the timing coincides with annual dispersal, when this year's fox families are breaking up, with cubs around four and a half months old. He noted that while most cubs' natural instincts kick in quickly, some wander through open doors into homes or businesses as they investigate unfamiliar territory.
He said: "If undisturbed, as this particular cub appears to have been, their natural curiosity will oblige them to check out everything at leisure and, in this case, it looks as if it's tested out its sharp young canines on the tender skin of a baby."
Williams added: "As alarming as this must have been for the baby's mother and, thankfully, resulting in only superficial injury, incidents involving foxes are so rare that the last time we heard of anything similar was somewhere around 2010 / 2012."
Preventative Measures Recommended
The charity founder recommended keeping doors closed and using non-toxic repellents as protective measures. He said: "Obviously, taking care to keep doors closed, despite the extreme weather, is a basic precaution. But anyone concerned about foxes regularly sharing their environment can reduce activity and discourage them very easily by use of safe, non-toxic mammal repellents easily acquired from garden centres and hardware stores."
Clarkson said: "I was very lucky that we came away with just needing some tetanus shots and some antibiotics. I would hate to find out that in a week or in a few weeks' time someone else isn't so lucky." The family now fears using their garden or leaving doors open with their daughters present.
