The three fox kits found on Capitol Hill after their rabid mother went on a biting spree have been euthanized.
The litter was captured on Wednesday after the vixen was euthanized and tested for rabies, with a positive diagnosis for the mother reported later that evening. As a result, officials with the Washington, D.C., Department of Health said the kits could not be returned to the wild.
“Since the mother tested positive for the rabies virus and the kits could have been exposed during grooming or other means, they were no longer able to be safely rehabilitated and were humanely euthanized,” the department told the Washington Examiner on Thursday.
CAPITOL HILL FOX EUTHANIZED AFTER BITING SPREE TESTS POSITIVE FOR RABIES
The fox was captured Tuesday afternoon after several reports of a vixen biting people, including Rep. Ami Bera, as they were walking around the grounds, Capitol Police said. The California Democrat wasn’t sure whether the fox pierced his clothing to bite him because there were no traces of blood, but he went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday night to begin a five-course rabies regimen out of an abundance of caution.
There were reports of attacks at the Botanic Garden and another on the House side of the Capitol. Officials are in the process of notifying the others who were bitten to be treated for rabies.
The attacks gained widespread attention on social media, with the vixen even receiving a Twitter account poking fun at the whole ordeal.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“This is officially a mass murder,” the Twitter account posted in response to the kits being euthanized on Thursday.
“Should the Capitol Fox lie in state?” another read.
Reports of rabies are not common in Washington, with only 186 people being tested for the disease in 2020. Of those, just 8% tested positive, according to city data.
