- A "aggressive" red fox bit Rep. Ami Bera and reporter Ximena Bustillo on Capitol grounds; Bera sought medical care.
- Capitol Police warned the public, trapped and detained a fox, and posted photos while Animal Control worked to relocate animals.
- Victims received rabies and tetanus shots and immunoglobulins; authorities urged anyone bitten to seek immediate medical attention.
On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, a “aggressive fox” was apprehended after attacking a US congressman and a reporter.
“We have received several reports of aggressive fox encounters on or near the grounds of the US Capitol,” the Capitol Police tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
“For your safety, please do not approach any foxes,” the tweet warned. “Animal Control Officers are working to trap and relocate any foxes they find.”
Hours later, the police tweeted four photos of a detained red fox, according to the reports.
California Congressman Ami Bera was reportedly nipped on the leg by a fox on his way into the office on Monday.
“What does the fox say? Last night, I found out,” Bera joked in a tweet.
“Joking aside, animal bites are extremely serious,” he wrote Tuesday afternoon. “In the case of an encounter, please speak with a physician immediately.”
Bera’s spokesperson stated that the lawmaker went to Walter Reed Hospital on Monday night and received rabies and tetanus shots, as well as immunoglobulins, “out of an abundance of caution.”
Ximena Bustillo, a political reporter, also revealed that she had been bitten.
“That feel when you get bit by a fox leaving Capitol cause that’s of course something I expect in THE MIDDLE OF DC,” Bustillo tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
During a press conference, Senate Minority Leader and Republican Mitch McConnell was asked if he had seen the fox.
Red foxes are common in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., which is home to a variety of mammals.
According to the National Parks Service, there are numerous fox den sites on the National Mall, but their locations may change from year to year.
Red foxes are found throughout the continental United States, though the foxes on the National Mall may spend their entire lives here, according to the agency.
