California county residents warned: Beware of squirrels

NOVATO, Calif., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Residents of a California county are being warned to steer clear of squirrels after a string of attacks attributed to the cute-but-not-cuddly creatures.

The Marin County Humane Society said a string of squirrel attacks have been reported during the past two and a half weeks near an intersection in Novato.

"The attacks are described as a squirrel suddenly running up to the victims, crawling up their bodies, and biting them in various areas," the Humane Society said in a statement provided to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The group said at least eight people sustained injuries to areas including their hands, arms, legs and head. At least one of the victims required a trip to the emergency room.

"There have also been reported instances in which squirrels have jumped out of trees and attacked the victims," the humane society said.

Most of the attacks have been centered on an intersection one block away from Pleasant Valley Elementary School, where an invading squirrel bit a student and a second-grade teacher last month.

"It's a very unusual behavior for squirrels," Lisa Bloch of the Marin Humane Society told KPIX-TV.

The Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, which is investigating the attacks, said the incidents may have all been the work of a single aggressive squirrel. The department said rabies is rare in squirrels, but the victims are being treated with anti-rabies medication as a precaution.