Newborn baby's face 'eaten away' in pet ferret attack

A baby girl in the US has suffered severe facial injuries after being mauled by pet ferrets.

The attack happened when the one-month-old was left in a car seat in the living room of the family house in Philadelphia, while her mother went upstairs.

As many as three ferrets escaped from an enclosure made of fabric and soft mesh in the living room and chewed the baby's nose, top lip and cheek, Darby Police Chief Robert Smythe said.

"I've been one [a police officer] for 45 years, and this is the most horrific thing I've seen happen to a child in 45 years in this town," Smythe told reporters.

The infant, who was mauled on Thursday, has reportedly undergone surgery for severe injuries to her face.

The child's father said the ferrets escaped while he was sleeping in an upstairs room and the mother was in an upstairs bathroom when she heard the child screaming, WPVI television reported.

Prosecutors in Delaware County are considering criminal charges in the case.

The couple's four other children - all under the age of five - are currently being cared for by relatives.

Police told NBC News that the family also had six cats, two dogs and two turtles and the home was "full of fleas and mites".

The only food in the house besides animal food was "peanut butter and cranberries," investigators said.

Ferrets - members of the weasel family - are legal to own as pets in most of the US but are heavily regulated in some jurisdictions.