Elsyn Fray, 85, was walking near her Lauderhill apartment complex with her husband, Rupert Fray, 71, around 5 a.m. when an animal attacked, ripping off the tip of the woman's pointer finger of her right hand, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
This morning #Lauderhill units transported an adult female to @BrowardHealth with serious injuries related to a possible bobcat attack. She was out for an early morning walk with her husband in the area of 6080 NW 44th Street when the incident occurred. #animalattack
— Lauderhill Fire PIO (@LauderhillFDPIO) October 4, 2019
Elsyn Fray also suffered bite marks on her forehead, lips and arms, the newspaper reported.
She was taken to an area hospital and was in fair condition, WSVN reported. Rupert Fray, who recently had open-heart surgery, fell down while trying to protect his wife, the television station reported. He injured his hip but has been discharged from the hospital.
Howard Fray, Rupert’s brother, said that Eslyn Fray is certain the animal was a bobcat because she had seen one two years earlier at their apartment complex.
"I saw a lot of blood," neighbor Veronica Wong, who called 911 after the attack, told the Sun-Sentinel. "(Eslyn) was sitting down and I asked her, 'What happened?' and she said, 'bobcat.'"
"We have no confirmation that it was a bobcat," Lauderhill Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Levy told WSVN. "Not sure exactly what the animal was. She does have injuries consistent with an animal attack but Fish and Wildlife Commission is out here trying to determine what the animal was that attacked the lady. If indeed it was a bobcat attack, which we have no confirmation that it was, that would be an unusual event in a metropolitan area like this."
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