Ferret attacks baby face in Darby Borough that left 25 percent of her face fully damaged on Thursday. The baby who is only 1-month-old was strapped into a car seat and left alone at the first floor of their home when the ferret attacks baby face. Parents were charged with child endangerment.
The ferret attacks baby face incident happened at 309 Block Poplar Street while the parents, identified as Burnie Fraim, 42, and Jessica Benales, 24 were both upstairs.
Benales heard the infant's scream, but it was too late when she discovered the ferret attacks baby face, as she tried to pull them off her daughter's face.
Both parents face five counts of endangering the welfare of their children. Fraim and Benales who were reported to have developmental disabilities share a total of five children all below the age of five. According to ABC News, the baby's nose, lip and cheek were chewed by the ferrets.
"It's the most horrific thing I've seen happen to a child in 45 years in this town," Police Chief Robert Smythe, one of the investigators on the case of ferret attacks baby face stated on Friday. "These kids need to be protected."
Delaware County says that ferret attacks baby face when three ferrets fled from their cloth enclosure and found the infant strapped in the car seat alone in the living room.
Smythe reported that Fraim and Benales' five kids all need special attention. The house was not conducive for healthy living as it is infested with mites and fleas. The couple also owns two dogs and six cats. There was no food for the children but peanut butter and cranberry sauce.
Warrants of arrest were served to Fraim and Benales on Saturday. Daily Times Crime reported that the couple was set to face their arraignment Monday morning. As the case of the ferret attacks baby face is ongoing, the rest of the children were left to the care of their relatives.
The baby attacked by the ferrets was reported to be in stable condition now and remains at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Doctors are trying to reconstruct her face while a stent was placed in her nose in order for her to breathe.
The case of the ferret that attacks baby face was not a remote story. In Jan. 2011, CNN reported a case of a 4-month-old baby who was attacked by the family's pet ferret and had eaten seven of the baby's fingers in Grain Valley, Missouri.
Ferrets are not legal to own in all states. There are some states that ban ferrets including California and Hawaii. Pet Medical Center reported that some ferrets like to bite and this is why training must be provided to discourage nuisance biting.
With the ferret attacks baby face, perhaps it is wise to think by now if your family should own a ferret pet. It's better to be alert and cautious than to be sorry.
