A California squirrel has gone nuts, and residents in one town are on the alert.
San Rafael, California, residents have reported a series of attacks from a vicious brown squirrel that sent at least two people to the emergency room, according to the local humane society.
Marin Humane confirmed to ABC News that there have been reported attacks from a wild squirrel in the area that may be the result of public feeding.
Joan Heblack was walking through Lucas Valley in San Rafael when the rodent launched itself at her and proceeded to claw and bite her, she told ABC News affiliate KGO-TV.
“It came out of nowhere. I didn’t see him running up to me at all,” Heblack said. “It clamped onto my leg. The tail was flying up here. I was like, ‘Get it off me, get off me!’ I didn’t want to touch it.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agrees that feeding wild animals is destructive, as it may cause them to react negatively when they are not fed.
There have been no reported cases of rabies transmission from squirrels to humans in the United States, as they do not spread rabies, according to the LA County Department of Public Health.