Mysterious Creature Sparks Fear in New Hampshire

Over the weekend, residents of Lebanon, New Hampshire – a quiet community roughly 122 miles northwest of Boston – were startled by a series of bizarre animal attacks. Between August 30 and 31, police logged three separate incidents, each involving an animal that lunged at people for no apparent reason.

The most striking clip, now circulating online, shows a person walking near a moving truck when a creature bursts from a nearby thicket and snaps at the victim’s legs. The animal darts back, the startled person kicks it away, only for the creature to make a second, frantic lunge before retreating into the woods again. The whole thing looks chaotic, almost as if the animal were deliberately hunting humans.

Authorities have yet to name the culprit. Eyewitnesses think it might be a gray fox or a fisher – the latter a sleek, nocturnal member of the weasel family that roams forested areas across the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes region. Both species are normally shy, which makes the reported aggression all the more unsettling.

“The animal displayed unusually aggressive behavior toward people,” the Lebanon Police Department said in a press release. That phrasing isn’t casual – it’s the kind of language used when officials suspect rabies, a virus that can be deadly if left untreated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that rabies can spread through bites, scratches, or even saliva that contacts an open wound or mucous membrane.

Because of that risk, police have urged residents to keep their distance. Do not approach, feed, or try to capture the animal. If you see it, call the department right away. And if you’re bitten or scratched, seek medical care immediately. Post‑exposure prophylaxis – a series of four or five rabies vaccine shots – is nearly 100 % effective when administered promptly, but once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

The three attacks all occurred along Centerra Parkway, a stretch of road that’s now being watched closely by both officers and wildlife officials. While the exact species remains a mystery, the consensus is clear: stay alert, report any suspicious activity, and get checked out if you think you’ve been exposed.

For now, the town waits – hoping the creature either retreats deeper into the forest or that experts can identify it and mitigate the danger. In the meantime, the video serves as a stark reminder that even in seemingly tranquil neighborhoods, the wild can show up uninvited and, sometimes, very aggressive.