A fox snuck into a home and bite a sleeping baby's head in what has been branded an "absolutely horrifying" attack in Watford.
The fox snuck through an unlocked garden door and bit a three-month-old infant on the head, in what experts believe is the first such attack in over a decade.
The baby, Josephine, sustained four puncture wounds during the incident, which took place at approximately 9.45pm on Thursday evening.
Her mother, Carly Clarkson, 37, had fallen asleep while feeding her daughter when the animal entered the property unnoticed. She was startled awake by the fox sniffing her face, only to discover blood surrounding her sleeping child.
Ms Clarkson said the wounds resembled "like a dog had bitten a football" and expressed fears that the animal had attempted to drag Josephine away.
"Imagine waking up and your child's blood is next to you. It was absolutely horrifying," she said.
"I feel absolutely violated."
The 37-year-old had left the garden door open, allowing the young fox to wander inside the property without detection.
With both mother and baby asleep, the fox, believed to be a cub, was free to explore the home undisturbed before turning its attention to the infant.
The experience has left Ms Clarkson deeply shaken by what she described as a terrifying ordeal.
Trevor Williams, who founded the Fox Project charity, said such encounters between foxes and humans were "rare," noting that a comparable incident had occurred in 2012.
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Williams was confident the Watford intruder was a cub rather than a mature animal. "Experienced adult foxes would never behave in this way and will always avoid putting themselves in such a vulnerable position," he said.
He explained that fox families typically disperse at this time of year, with cubs reaching roughly four and a half months old.
While most young foxes quickly develop an instinct to steer clear of people, a small number end up straying through open doors as they investigate new surroundings.
"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," Mr Williams said.
Under current wildlife protection legislation, foxes cannot be removed through harmful means, as they are shielded by law.
Unlike rats and other pests, foxes are not classified as vermin, which means local councils bear no legal responsibility to take action against them.
The incident is thought to be the first of its kind since 2012, when a similar attack was recorded.
While fox sightings in urban areas remain commonplace across much of southern England, direct contact with humans — and particularly attacks on children inside homes — remains exceptionally unusual, according to wildlife experts.
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