There’s something strange going on at Centerra Park in Lebanon, N.H.
Many people are reporting that they’ve run into a wild animal that doesn’t act like most wild animals when encountering people.
On Aug. 30, the first report came in.
Then there were two more. The third happened on Aug. 31.
By then, police in the area told everyone else to be on their guard when walking around the nearby woods.
The reports began with a single encounter
At first, the initial report was just one instance of an experience with wildlife near wooded areas.
But things started to get stranger quickly after that.
Lebanon police took three calls related to the area.
All three happened on Aug. 30 and Aug. 31.
Three separate events suggest that this may be more than a random occurrence.
According to the reports, the animal was extremely aggressive toward people.
Also, the way some people described this animal’s actions showed it wasn’t typical for wildlife.
When you start getting more reports like this, describing similar aggressive behavior from the same location, the likelihood of a single rare event diminishes greatly.
By that point, authorities were reviewing multiple reports from the same area.
As such, instead of viewing this as a lone oddity, it appears to be a larger issue that needs to be taken seriously by anyone walking through Centerra Park.
Each new report increased the size of the potential problem
Because of how serious the reports were, the Lebanon Police Department issued a formal warning to all residents, employees and visitors about safety precautions in wooded and brush-covered areas.
The department specifically cautioned people traveling through the area, not just local residents, regarding the dangers of wildlife in certain areas of town.
They alerted the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department so they could assist in investigating the incidents.
So far, authorities are dealing with several factors.
The first is that there have been multiple incidents.
The second is that witnesses describe the behavior of this animal as abnormal.
Both factors helped explain why authorities were treating the situation with caution.
Officials said that aggressive or unusual behaviors exhibited by wild animals can sometimes be associated with rabies.
That does not necessarily mean that the animal causing these problems has rabies.
It only indicates that the behavior was unusual enough to justify caution until further investigation takes place.
As well, since authorities haven’t identified what animal caused the problems, they also couldn’t inform people about exactly what animal to look out for.
The identity of the wild animal remains unknown
Witnesses have given two possible identities for the wild animal.
They believe either it is a gray fox or a fisher, a different type of wild mammal.
Again, neither possibility was confirmed by police.
This lack of confirmation is significant for reasons unrelated to what animal caused the reported attacks.
Those reasons include that Lebanon Police Officers had not personally observed or encountered the wild animal.
Since police didn’t see it directly, they can’t confirm what species is behind these reported attacks.
Therefore, authorities are dealing with an unusual situation in Centerra Park.
There are multiple accounts of aggressive wildlife encounters.
However, there is no identification of the wild animal.
The warning does not depend on identifying the animal
In terms of people walking near wooded or brush-covered areas, this means the warning is based less upon knowing what species is in the area and more upon remaining vigilant.
If someone is walking along those types of routes and runs into a wild animal, they will likely have no idea if it is the animal described in the reports.
To date, however, the reports provide evidence but no clear answers about what species is involved in these reported attacks.
As a result, authorities continue to monitor the area for another encounter with whatever animal caused these problems.
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