A neighborhood in San Rafael, California, has been left on edge after a series of unusual and violent encounters with a golden-colored squirrel, which has sent at least two residents to the emergency room.
Joan Heblack was out for a morning walk in Lucas Valley when the squirrel suddenly latched onto her leg. “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,” Heblack told ABC7 News. Her injuries were serious enough to require emergency medical treatment.
Another resident, Isabel Campoy, was walking with her niece near Mount Lassen Drive when she was also attacked. “The squirrel went from the floor and tried to jump up to my face. I tried to protect myself, and my arm was completely overcome by the squirrel,” she said. “By the time it jumped off, I was covered in blood and rushed to the emergency room.”
“This is beautiful, now it’s following us, until she almost killed me,” said a victim of the squirrel attack. https://t.co/WemqosbITv
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Campoy, who is still recovering, described the incident as both painful and traumatic. “It hurts to touch the skin. I am putting my best power and mind in order to say I’ll survive this,” she said.
According to neighbors, at least five people have been attacked by what they believe is the same aggressive squirrel. Warning flyers have been posted around the area, and residents are actively sharing updates on the community platform Nextdoor.
Vanessa Potter from WildCare, a local wildlife rescue organization, explained that while squirrels do not carry rabies, human interaction—particularly feeding—can lead to problematic behavior. “If they associate people with food, they’re not afraid of them,” she said. “They will look for food. If they don’t get it, there can be frustrations. They can be territorial of their space.”
The squirrel in question hasn’t been seen for several days, but the community remains on alert as local authorities and wildlife experts monitor the situation.