Neighbors keep an eye out for hard rodents

(AP) – Residents of a Queens area face a similar threat.

Residents of the Rego Park neighborhood in New York City say an aggressive squirrel has jumped on them and bitten them in recent weeks, WCBS-TV reported on Wednesday.

Micheline Frederick points to a bruise on her wrist where she says the squirrel lands on her and then lowers its teeth into her fingers and hand.

“We’re struggling in the snow and there’s blood everywhere and my fingers are chewing and it will not loosen,” Frederick said. “Eventually it just stopped and there I was a big bloody mess.”

According to a photo she took after the attack, a snow pool is covered in blood.

“It was an MMA cage match! And I lost!” she added.

Two other neighbors told WCBS the squirrel had jumped on them, apparently unnoticed.

“These squirrels are aggressively chasing people,” Vinati Singh said.

The city’s health department has advised neighbors to rent a licensed trap, but the large metal traps have not yet caught any squirrels, the broadcaster reported.

The reason for the squirrel’s – or squirrels’ – aggressive behavior is not clear. Small rodents such as squirrels are rarely positive for rabies and are not known to have transmitted it to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.