WASHINGTON — A female red fox captured on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday was euthanized and has tested positive for rabies, a spokesperson for the Humane Rescue Alliance said Wednesday.
The fox, which had several kits, or babies, is believed to have bitten several people, including U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, on Monday.
The D.C. public health lab “has confirmed the fox tested positive for the rabies virus,” spokesperson Sam Miller told The Washington Post.
In an email to the newspaper, the Washington, D.C. Department of Health said that there were nine “confirmed” bites by the fox over the past few days and that it had been “humanely euthanized” to allow for rabies testing.
A mother red fox captured Tuesday on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol has been euthanized and has tested positive for rabies, said a spokeswoman for the Humane Rescue Alliance. https://t.co/MC9HOwz1tk
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 6, 2022
Officials are working on the next steps for the kits of the female fox, WRC-TV reported.
“No other foxes were found on the Capitol Hill grounds, but it would not be uncommon to see more as there are many present throughout the District,” health officials said.
>> Red fox captured after attacks reported on US Capitol grounds
Bera, D-California, said the adult fox bit him on Monday as he was walking outside the Capitol.
“(I) felt something lunge at the back of my leg. Thought it was going to be a small dog or something. Kind of jumped and then it’s like, that’s not a dog. It’s a fox,” Bera said in a statement. “You know, somebody started saying, ‘Hey, there’s a fox attacking that guy.’”
“The fox pierced Rep. Bera’s suit, but it was inconclusive whether or not the fox pierced his skin,” a spokesperson for Bera’s office told WRC.
Bera went to Walter Reed Hospital Monday night to receive the appropriate shots for rabies, according to the television station.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an animal must be euthanized in order to determine whether it has rabies. Samples from brain tissue are tested in a lab, the CDC said.
Approximately 120,000 animals annually in the U.S. are tested for rabies and about 6% are found to be rabid, the Post reported.
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