Fox Shoots a Man with a Gun

It is every animal rights campaigners dream – Fox Shoots Man. And this is exactly what happened last Thursday on a cold winters day in the picturesque countryside of the Grodno region in north-western Belarus.

Pleading innocence (or self-defense?)

After wounding the fox from a distance, the hunter decided to approach the animal. But when the hunter pulled the fox from the ground, there was a scuffle between the hunter and the hunted. The man tried to finish off the fox with the butt of the rifle – however the fox had other ideas, as it accidentally touched the trigger and a gun fired leaving a memorable and painful wound to the hunter’s leg.

The hunter was rushed to hospital to be treated. The unnamed 40-years old hunter asked for his name to be withheld to save himself from global embarassment. However, whether he can save himself from local embarassment is a whole other story.

Meanwhile, authorities are investigating whether he could have actually been shot at by another person or whether it was a failed suicide attempt. An Official is quotes to have said, “I have never heard of anything like this before. The hunter couldn’t believe it either. He was in shock.”

As for the whereabouts of this lucky fox? It turns out that the fox made a clean escape and is nowhere to be found. It is no doubt that this would-be poster child for PETA and other furry animals prowling around this winter.

Fox hunting is a popular activity in this farming region in the Belarusian-Polish border. Foxes are not protected animals in Belarus as they transmite rabies. The Grodno region is also a popular destination for those who want to hunt wild boar, elk, and even wolves. However, they may not want to get too close to the animals they are hunting for their own good.

According to National Geographic, the resourcefulness of a fox is what earned its repuation for beging sly, cunning, and intelligent. Although this incident is an accident, it truly cements the image of the fox being a crafty creature. However, Aol News reports that this is actually not the first time that an animal has shot a human. At least 3 incidents have been reported during the last decade which involves both dogs and cats accidentally triggering guns in the USA and New Zealand.