UNSW Facebook groups have exploded in a collective brouhaha after three separate students, in three separate incidents, were bitten by a fox late at night at the UNSW Kensington campus.
The campus has been the location of a raft of reported fox sightings as of late, and at least three people have been bitten by one over the past weekend. Two of which presented to hospital to receive treatment, where they met and bonded over their shared experiences.
According to UNSW student newspaper Newsworthy, the first incident occurred on Saturday night, with student Kevin Wang posting footage of a rather unafraid fox approaching him, before biting his hand and attempting to pull away.
Following that, 20-year-old Liz Willer encountered the fox – potentially the same one – at around 10pm on Saturday night. According to a post in a closed UNSW Facebook group, Willer said the fox appeared “really sweet and gentle” after approaching her. Willer then admits that she “did pat him for a bit,” and that the fox then “chomped me when I pulled away my hand.” Willer asserts that she has “since been informed you shouldn’t pat a fox.”
Remarkably enough, when Willer presented to the Prince of Wales Emergency Department later that night, she met an unnamed man who was also seeking treatment for a fox bite suffered at UNSW Kensington. That man was reportedly bitten after sitting down on the ground next to it because he, get this, “thought it was a cat.”
UNSW confirmed that they are aware of “several separate incidents” of students receiving fox bites on campus, and are working to locate the culprit under the assumption that it is just the one fox. However, anecdotal accounts suggest that there may be three foxes or possibly more.
UNSW students commenting on the spate of fox incidents have named the fox in question “Frank” or “Frankie,” with several suggesting the fox be anointed the new mascot of UNSW.
Foxes are, by legal definition, a pest in NSW, and have been since 2014. Under the law, they cannot be rehomed once captured by authorities.
