'I thought I was going to die after being savagely attacked by a feral squirrel'

You might think the squirrel innocently climbing your tree in search of acorns is harmless, but the bushy-tailed rodents have been known to ferociously attack humans.

One such encounter saw a feral squirrel "jump" on a woman's face, which she claimed "nearly killed" her. Isabel Campoy recalled how the squirrelsuddenly leapt down "onto the floor" before it "tried to jump up to my face."

She said: "I tried to protect my face, my arm was completely overcome by squirrel." Isabel was left with deep, bloody wounds on her right arm when it "finally jumped off" and said she "ran to the emergency room".

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After the terrifying ordeal, the victim added: "It hurts to touch the skin. I am putting my best power and mind in order to say I'll survive this."

Joan Heblack is another passerby who was abruptly attacked by a squirrel in California, describing it as "very scary" after it "came out of nowhere". She recalled: "It clamped onto my leg and it was just hanging on."

She continued: "The tail was flying up here. I was like, 'Get off me, get off me!' I didn't want to touch it. It came out of nowhere. I didn't see him running up to me at all."

Joan was also left covered in blood from bite and claw marks following the squirrel outburst, while on a morning walk, and needed medical attention. Wildlife experts have warned that health conditions such as leptospirosis and salmonella have been linked to squirrels.

Isabel and Joan are just two of the five victims who have been attacked by a squirrel in the area of Lucas Valley in San Rafael, California, ABC News reported. The worrying encounters have left anxious residents putting up warning posters and insisting it is "not a joke".

On the posters, they read in big, bold red lettering: "Attack squirrel, beware!" It then adds: "This is not a joke, more than five people have been attacked."

Vanessa Potter, from WildCare in San Rafael, told ABC that these types of attacks aren't uncommon and could have occurred after the animal was previously fed by a human. She told the publication: "If they associate people with food, they're not afraid of them.

"They will look for food. If they don't get it, there can be frustrations. They can be territorial of their space."

Local residents believe it is one feral squirrel carrying out the attacks, similar to those that reside in Britain. Just a few years ago, there was a reported 18 attacks, over the course of two days, from the same reported squirrel here the UK.

The grey rodent reportedly attacked pensioners, children and pets by launching itself at people as they put out bins and even chasing people down streets. Many were left bitten, bruised and bleeding from the worrying attacks in the Welsh town.