Peculiar animal spotted roaming around Phoenixville

PHOENIXVILLE — You’ll see a lot of dogs being walked and squirrels in Phoenixville, but an animal roaming around the borough still has not been identified.

Resident Bob Domarasky spotted the animal at his neighbor’s house at the 100 block of Columbia Avenue on Monday around 2:30 p.m.

“Everybody (that has seen the picture) has their different idea about what it is,” Domarasky said. “Some think it’s a fox. Others think it’s a coyote.”

He said the animal was hanging out under his neighbor’s porch and he had seen the same animal near Reeves Park in July.

Hoof marks were found on the ground, Domarasky said.

Residents don’t know if the animal is sick or has rabies, Domarasky said.

“We do have 20 dogs on this block and we’re nervous,” he said. “We don’t know what’s prowling around out there.”

He said the animal has been seen several times since Monday.

A dispatcher from Phoenixville Police Department said the department received a report about the animal. An officer looked around, but didn’t find it.

These kinds of animals or reports of animals are to be handled by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the dispatcher said.

The Southeast Region of the Game Commission hasn’t received any reports yet about the animal.

A representative of Schuylkill Township said she had heard about the animal, but the township had not received any reports.

An area resident called in to tell The Phoenix she had seen the same animal running around in the Charlestown Township area.