'Foxed'! Capitol Hill On Alert After Congressman Attacked By Fox Outside Senate Building

Congressman Ami Bera was walking to the Capitol Monday evening when he was attacked by a fox. He has taken first of four rabies shots.

This handout photo released by the US Capitol Police on April 5, 2022, shows a red fox that was captured by DC animal control outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC | Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Capitol Hill remains alert for all sorts of security issues and challenges. But it probably did not expect or anticipate the problem it countered this week — a fox attack.

Congressman Ami Bera was walking to the Capitol Monday evening when he was attacked by a fox, and now has to take a series of four rabies shots.

Quoting Bera, a report in the Associated Press said he was near one of the Senate office buildings when he felt something lunged at him from behind. While he thought it was a dog and tried to fend it off using his umbrella, Bera realised soon that what he was fighting was in fact a fox.

According to him, the encounter lasted about 15 seconds, and that the fox fled after a bystander sounded an alert  and the US Capitol Police arrived on the scene. 

'Most Unusual Day On The Hill In 10 years'

Republican Bera, who represents the 7th congressional district of California, is a medical doctor himself. He said he didn’t find any puncture wounds but there was some abrasion. The Capitol physician then told him not to take any chances, and to get treated.

Bera went to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the first of four rabies shots, the AP report said.

“I would say it’s the most unusual day on the Hill in 10 years,” he was quoted as saying.

According to the report, lawmakers and their staff were told Tuesday afternoon that there had been several fox encounters recently, and that one should not approach the animals.

The warning also noted that there could be many fox dens on the Capitol grounds, and that animal control personnel would work to locate and catch them using traps.

They even managed to net one. The Capitol Police took to Twitter to post pictures of the fox captured in a cage.

We have received several reports of aggressive fox encounters on or near the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.

For your safety, please do not approach any foxes.

Animal Control Officers are working to trap and relocate any foxes they find.

— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) April 5, 2022

“Hopefully, the animal can be relocated,” Bera was quoted as saying.