April 6, 2022
I would say it’s the most unusual day on the Hill in 10 years.
Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) on getting bit by a fox while walking to the U.S. Capitol.
- Representative Ami Bera (D-CA) was walking to the Capitol building for a voting session Monday evening when a fox lunged and bit him. He is one of nine people known to be bitten this week.
- The encounter lasted around 15 seconds. Bera, who is a doctor, was left with “some abrasion” and is undergoing a series of rabies shots “out of an abundance of caution.”
- U.S. Capitol Police tweeted on Tuesday afternoon: “We have received several reports of aggressive fox encounters on or near the grounds of the U.S. Capitol … Please do not approach any foxes. Animal Control Officers are working to trap and relocate any foxes they find.”
- Since the encounter, the fox was captured, “humanely euthanized,” and tested positive for rabies. Animal control officers took the fox’s three kits from the den site; they were also euthanized due to their direct rabies exposure from their mother.
Fox bites man, putting Capitol Hill on high alert (Associated Press)
Capitol Fox’s Three Kits Euthanized After Rabies Exposure (NYT)
by Jenna Lee,
