Fox savages baby girl in her home: Infant's shocking injuries after she was mauled by a predator that crept in through open door

An image of the fox that reportedly entered the wee girl's home in Devon and attacked her. Photo

A seven-month-old baby girl was left with horrific injuries after being mauled by a fox that snuck into her house through the back door and attacked her as she slept.

Raeya Wyatt was bitten on her foot and hand after the fox entered her home in Plymouth, Devon, through a back door that was on the latch on Tuesday afternoon.

Her grandfather Darren Boundry chased the fox out of the house and paramedics were called.

She was later given a tetanus jab and antibiotics in hospital.

Boundry said the fox had killed a neighbour's cat just the day before.

"It sneaked up the side of the shed. I just turned around and looked in the front room and the fox was right behind Raeya," he said.

"The baby was screaming, it all happened in about 30 seconds. I just took her out then phoned the ambulance."

And Raeya's mother Leanne Boundry, 27, believes if the attack had lasted any longer, her daughter could have been "ripped to pieces".

"I just thought it was an older fox coming to feed its babies and did not think anything of it, but it kept coming back to our back garden," the mother-of-three said.

"No one saw the attack, my dad came in to shut the door and turned around and the fox was in the living room.

"The door was just on the latch, Raeya has bite marks on her hand and on her foot, they are puncture wounds.'

Ms Boundry added that her daughter was released from the hospital on Tuesday, but is 'still shaken up.'

"If an animal goes near her now, she is scared and will cry," she said.

Boundry said she had contacted the RSPCA for advice prior to the attack because she had been concerned for the safety of Raeya and her siblings, Reggie, four, and one-year-old Jimmy.

"It has been walking along the side for several days," she said.

"It lasted 30 seconds but in another minute, it could have been a lot worse and ripped her to pieces.

"You don't expect a fox to behave in that way. The RSPCA need to come and get it.

"I'm really angry with the RSPCA, if this was a dog that came in it would have been put down.

"Several calls have been made to the RSPCA but the fox is still in the garden. As a mother it was terrifying."

Raeya's aunt Roxanne Boundry said she was told there was nothing the RSPCA could do after making a number of calls.

"It all happened in about 30 seconds, and Raeya had her hands and feet bitten," she said.

"She was crying her eyes out apparently, she was released from hospital later that day in seven hours but has to be on antibiotics and be checked out.

"As a family we are all really angry that this was able to happen, we warned them and there were seven calls made to the RSPCA and we were told there was nothing they can do."

South Western Ambulance Service said: "We were called on Tuesday at 1.47pm to an incident in the West Park area of Plymouth involving a suspected animal bite.

"We attended with a rapid response vehicle. A female patient was treated at the scene for minor injuries."

A picture of the fox, posted on Facebook by a family member, has been shared hundreds of times.

The RSPCA says that fox attacks were "extremely unusual".

A spokesman said: "It's extremely unusual for foxes to attack young children or anyone.

"It's not typical fox behaviour at all. Foxes will come closer to a house if there are food sources.

"Then they can become quite bold, but they usually do back off and run away when there's people around."

In 2013, four-week-old Denny Dolan had his finger nearly bitten off as a fox pulled him from the sofa at his home in Downham, south-east London.

In 2010, twins Isabella and Lola Koupparis were left with injuries to their arms and faces after they were mauled by an animal in their cots in Hackney, east London.

The animal had entered through patio doors.

After both attacks, animal charities said attacks on humans by foxes were very rare.