Nine bites of aggressive rabies fox

Congress Congress in Washington DC has received several unusual messages in recent days.

An aggressive fox is said to have attacked several people, including elected representatives, near the Capitol building. It triggered a pat hunt on the fox, which on Tuesday was caught by the police after help from the animal control authorities.

Now it turns out the aggressive fox had rabies, writes Washington Post.

Killed

In a statement, the state Department of Health writes that the fox must have bitten at least nine people before it was caught.

When wild animals attack humans, the animals are in some cases tested for any diseases. To find out if animals have rabies, they must be killed before samples from the brain tissue are sent for testing in a laboratory.

The aggressive fox was killed in a humane way on Wednesday, and the rabies tests had a positive effect, according to the newspaper.

About 120,000 animals are tested annually for rabies in the United States, of which about six percent are positive, writes the Washington Post.

Congressman attacked

Democrat Ami Bera, a member of the House of Representatives, is among those attacked by the fox.

“Yesterday was probably my most unusual day at Capitol Hill in 10 years,” Bera said on Tuesday.

– I turned around because I felt something on the back of my leg. Then I saw a fox. I have never seen a fox at Congress, he said, pointing out that he used an umbrella to try to scare the fox away.

Bera immediately consulted a doctor, where he received a tetanus shot and immunoglobulin treatment.

A reporter for Politico also claimed on Tuesday that she was bitten by the fox.

– Kills all adult animals

Warns

It is uncertain where the fox came from and how long it has been in the area around the congress building. But shortly after the aggressive fox was captured, the police also gained control of several foxes.

However, the Ministry of Health does not want to comment on where the foxes are or what will happen to them.

It is not yet certain if there are more aggressive foxes near Capitol Hill. Police are therefore asking residents and members of Congress to avoid any foxes they see in the area.

– Everyone who encounters an aggressive, sick or injured fox should contact the animal control, they write in a statement.

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