WASHINGTON (KNX) — After warning visitors and nearby residents of the U.S. Capitol about the potential threat of encountering a dangerous, wild fox around the Washington landmark, police said it successfully captured the animal Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday, the department said it had received "several reports of aggressive fox encounters" around the Capitol complex, including reports of individuals attacked or bitten. Rep. Ami Bera, representing California's 7th Congressional district, confirmed he had been bit by the animal after an encounter Monday night.
“I didn’t see it and all of a sudden I felt something lunge at the back of my leg,” Bera told Punchbowl News. He was forced to get seven shots after the incident, he told CNN.
"Please do not approach any fox you see," a statement cautioned. "Foxes are … very protective of their dens and territory."
Capitol Police believe there could be several foxes dens near the Dirksen and Russell Buildings. So officers deployed animal control representatives to "trap and relocate any foxes they find."
Mitch McConnell's press secretary tweeted the statement from USCP with the caption, "Fox News." Congresswoman Virginia Foxx retweeted the image, joking, "So much for my 'Fox Caucus' idea…."
The Humane Society says foxes are generally afraid of humans and are more likely to run away than attack someone — unless they are rabid. However, wild foxes in urban environments could be bold, it warns.
The Humane Society told CBS News that it recommends making loud noises, dousing them with water, or throwing a small object at them to scare a fox away.
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