Authorities are searching for a fox that bit a woman in Minneapolis Tuesday afternoon.

The woman was visiting the Lake Harriet area near West Minnehaha Parkway when she was bitten by "what authorities believe was a fox," the Minneapolis Police Department said on its Facebook page.

The bite was not severe and the woman was treated at a hospital and sent home, police said.

Authorities who responded to the scene and spoke with the woman said the animal was not provoked. Minneapolis Animal Care and Control will patrol the area for the next 10 days, "providing best efforts to catch the fox," the department said.

Two animal control officers were also searching the area.

The red fox is common in Minnesota, including metro and suburban areas, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Police ask the public to be on the lookout for the fox and not to approach it if it's sighted. Any sightings should be reported to 311.

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647 Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora