Three pet ferrets chewed away up to a fourth of a baby's face after her parents left her alone in their dining room at a home in Pennsylvania, U.S. authorities said on Sunday.

The month-old infant, Skyy Isabelle Fraime, was left in a car seat on the floor of her home in Pennsylvania's Darby Borough when her parents had to run upstairs.

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The family's three pet ferrets wiggled out their enclosure and scurried to the helpless infant. Reports said the animals bit the baby's nose, lips and other parts of her face. Police said the attack happened at 3:30 in the afternoon on Thursday.

She was brought to hospital for treatment where she was promptly placed under emergency care due to massive nose injuries, which left the baby in need of breathing assistance. She has been listed in "stable" condition.

A local television reported the baby would most likely require several operations in the future to fix the damage to her face. The father of the baby, Burnie Fraime, said he rushed to save the baby but the ferrets already "messed up" her face. He is the fiancée of the baby's mother, Jessica Benales.

Before the weekend, the police chief of Darby said the baby's injuries were the worst that he has ever seen in more than four decades as a law enforcer. He said the center of the infant's face is missing, so is part of her lip and cheek, adding he could not imagine the pain of a helpless infant being eaten alive by three animals.

The police chief said the baby's parents are in crisis. Before the attack, Delaware County Child & Youth Services already had the parents on their watch.

The agency took into custody the couple's four other young children but, so far, the parents have not been charged. An official probe into the baby attack is still underway.

Tagsferrets, pets, eaten alive, Skyy Isabelle Fraime, child welfare