1:40pm UPDATE: A 19-year-old woman was attacked and bitten by a fox near the Catwalk National Scenic Trail near Glenwood on Tuesday, according to a news release from the state Department of Game and Fish.

The woman said the fox had to be kicked off her pant leg after it jumped up and bit her, and the fox ran away and couldn't be found, the release said.

The woman received post-exposure rabies treatment as a precaution, according to the release.

Department of Health officials said fox rabies has been a problem for several decades in Arizona, but now has spread into western New Mexico, the Game and Fish release said.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects all mammals and can be prevented but not cured, the release said.

Silver City police report eight fox sightings within town limits since Feb. 23, and five of those were dead or dying and others were showing abnormal behavior, the Silver City Sun-News reported.

Kerry Mower, wildlife health specialist with the state Department of Game and Fish, told the Sun-News that a fox found Monday afternoon in Silver City was to be euthanized and tested for rabies.

There have been two confirmed cases of rabies in foxes found inside Silver City, Mower told the paper, adding, "I expect this third one to test positive also."

The first confirmed rabies case was on Feb. 23 when a dying fox was discovered on F Street in Silver City, the paper reported.

About a week later, a man was attacked on U.S. 180 near James Stadium when a fox began biting his leg and then ran off when the man -- who was later treated for rabies -- threw rocks at it, the Sun-News said.

"We never found that fox that we know of," said Silver City Animal Control Officer Sherwood Nace, who said that two more foxes found dead since that incident had not been tested for rabies.

"The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish only test those animals  that attack humans or animals that are found alive," Nace told the paper.

Nace urged local residents to keep from approaching any wildlife, especially during the daytime, the Sun-News said.

While foxes are normally nocturnal animals, "all these sightings have taken place between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.," Nace told the paper.

If an animal is running around in the daytime, Nace said, "there is a high probability something is wrong with it."

Rabies can remain dormant in an animal for up to a month, and once the disease takes over, an animal can stay rabid for up to 10 days, Nace added. 

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