BRUNSWICK

A 95-year-old man used a broken plank to fend off a rabid fox on Monday.

Robert Galen, 95, encountered the fox at around 4:10 p.m. Monday near his Breckan Road residence.

The fox bit Galen’s foot, but did not break the skin, according to police.

Galen, however, said the mark left on one sneaker may have actually been from a claw, or happened during a fall during the incident. Regardless, the fox wasn’t able to penetrate his sock or skin.

The incident occurred when Galen was repairing his deck. He had just picked up a fallen plank behind his house when he looked up and saw a mature fox, “looking me right in the eye,” he said, from less than two feet away.

“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, I my hand,” he said.

Galen said the animal “never got the opportunity” to lunge or attack.

“Any fox or racoon or skunk that approaches a human being within a foot and a half is abnormal,” he said.

It took about 10 minutes for Galen to subdue the animal. During the encounter, Galen said he fell backward into a bush and hurt his lower back. However, he continued to strike the fox from an inclined position until he was able to get up out of the bush.

A Maine warden came and took the fox, and on Tuesday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention notified him the animal tested positive for rabies.

Galen was relieved, saying, “I didn’t want to kill an innocent animal.”

Galen said he didn’t come into contact with the saliva of the animal, “but I was doggone close.”

He did consult with his family physician and had an X-ray taken of his lower back. He hopes to return to his normal activity by next week. He plays golf or bicycles at least four times a week.

Galen also has alerted everyone in his neighborhood about the rabid fox, and warned neighbors to keep an eye on their pets in particular in case they had an interaction with it.

Galen has lived in his Breckan Road home for more than 50 years, and he sees a lot of wildlife. Monday afternoon, however, was an alarming encounter with what he estimated was a 10- pound fox.

He is the third Brunswick victim in the last 10 days; two residents were attacked by a rabid fox on June 17.

Barbara Senecal, 72, of Brunswick and her neighbor Mark Allred were treated for the attacks on June 17. Senecal suffered bites to both legs and her arm as she tried to subdue the fox. Allred suffered a bite to the hand while Senecal called for help.

“Our advice is anyone who has contact with a possibly rabid animal wants to seek professional advice on the next steps,” said Brunswick Police Cmdr. Mark Waltz. “We want to remind people to make sure that their animals are up to date on their rabies shots because their appears to be rabies in the area.”

dmoore@timesrecord.com