Zack Howard, a man from Enfield, New Hampshire, was attacked by a mysterious animal in the parking lot of FitKids ChildCare near Lebanon on Sunday. The animal, described as small and gray with an orange underbelly, grabbed Howard's bag before biting his foot and leg. According to surveillance footage, Howard yelled at the creature to let go and eventually had to kick it off, prompting him to undergo multiple rounds of rabies shots. New Hampshire Fish and Game officials have not confirmed what type of animal is responsible for the attacks, but suspect it may be a red or gray fox that is acting unusually due to illness.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Zack Howard, a man from Enfield, NH, was attacked by an unknown animal while unloading his U-Haul truck at the FitKids ChildCare parking lot in Lebanon. The creature, described as small and gray with an orange underbelly, grabbed Howard's bag before biting his foot and leg. In a desperate attempt to free himself, Howard kicked the animal away, puncturing his running shoe but avoiding drawing blood. Despite undergoing multiple rounds of rabies shots, Howard says he hurt more from the vaccine than from the bite itself. The incident was caught on surveillance camera, which also shows Howard's girlfriend running out of her office as the animal flees. The attack marks one of three in the same area over a two-day period.
Written for “Mysterious Animal Sighting Incident” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 5413 · logged 2026-09-06
Zack Howard, of Enfield, NH, had just stepped out of his U-Haul truck Sunday in the FitKids ChildCare parking lot near Centerra Parkway in Lebanon when the strange, aggressive animal charged at him.
asserted
animal → step → him
“The way just it looked with the tail and kind of that orange underbelly, it was 100% a fox in my mind,” Howard told News 9.
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Howard → look → News
Surveillance footage captured the small, gray creature — believed to be behind three attacks in the same area over two days — grabbing Howard’s bag before it returned to bite his foot and leg.
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it → capture → foot
“I’m trying to shake it off,” Howard recalled.
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Howard → try → it
“And if those security cameras had audio, you would hear me actually yell at it.
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me → have → it
I said, ‘Dude, let go.
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I → say → ?
I don’t want to kick you,’ and it didn’t let go, so I just had to kick it off.”
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I → want → it
The bite did not draw blood but punctured Howard’s running shoe.
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bite → draw → shoe
He has since undergone multiple rounds of rabies shots after the terrifying encounter.
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He → undergo → encounter
“If anything, the six shots in the foot hurt worse than anything the fox caused,” Howard said.
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Howard → hurt → anything
Howard’s girlfriend was filmed running out of her office as the animal darted away in surveillance video.
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animal → film → video
Howard said he couldn’t get back into his truck and had to retaliate.
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he → say → truck
“If there’s no other option, fight is sometimes a better choice than flight in an attack,” he said.
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he → ’ → attack
New Hampshire Fish and Game officials have not confirmed what type of animal is responsible for the attacks.
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type → confirm → attacks
Early reports suggested a fox or fisher cat.
uncertain
reports → suggest → fox
No additional attacks have been reported.
“We’ve been here fairly regularly throughout the week, trying to hopefully run into the creature and see if we can figure out what it is,” Lt. James Kneeland told News 9.
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Kneeland → report → creature
Red and gray foxes are common in western New Hampshire, but Fish and Game officials said the animal’s behavior is unusual and could indicate illness.
uncertain
behavior → say → illness
“That (behavior) wouldn’t be normal for a healthy wild animal,” Kneeland said.
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Kneeland → say → animal
The Lebanon Police Department earlier this week urged residents, employees and visitors to stay away from any wild animal acting aggressively or unusually.
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Department → urge → animal
“Do not approach, attempt to capture, feed, or otherwise interact with the animal,” police said.
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police → approach → animal
Police also warned of potential rabies exposure, urging anyone bitten or scratched by a wild animal to thoroughly wash the area with soap and water and seek immediate medical care.
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Police → warn → care
New Hampshire man Zack Howard, who clashed with a mystery animal in a parking lot, believes the creature is a fox.
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creature → clash → lot
The unidentified creature grabbed Howard’s bag before returning to bite his foot and leg, puncturing his shoe.
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creature → grab → shoe
Howard, pictured describing the scene, has undergone multiple rabies shots, with more to come in the coming weeks.
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Howard → picture → weeks
Officials still have not been able to identify the small, gray animal and have urged residents to stay alert.
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Officials → identify → residents
