A Democrat congressman reported being bitten by a wild fox who had been spotted at the U.S. Capitol by several people in recent days.
Rep. Ami Bera of California told Punchbowl News that he was the victim of an “unprovoked” attack by the fox on Monday evening near the Capitol.
“I didn’t see it and all of a sudden I felt something lunge at the back of my leg,”
Bera said. “I jumped and got my umbrella.”
Bera said that he spun around quickly and shooed the fox away with his umbrella.
“Someone was like ‘hey a fox is attacking that guy,’” he
added. “Capitol police came out and then fox ran away. It was the most bizarre day in Congress.”
Bera, who is a medical doctor, didn’t initially want to get a rabies shot but he later relented.
“I expect to get attacked if I go on Fox News, I don’t expect to get attacked by a fox,”
he joked.
A photograph showed the puncture marks on Bera’s suit from the fox bite.
Various people had been posting photographs of the fox before it went after the Democrat.
On Tuesday, the Capitol Police
warned people to stay away from fox after they had received several reports of “aggressive encounters” with the animal.
“For your safety, please do not approach any foxes,” they tweeted. “Animal Control Officers are working to trap and relocate any foxes they find.” The next day, the police tweeted that animal control had caught the animal.
Bera tweeted later that he was in good shape.
“Happy to report that I am healthy and back at work serving the people of #CA07,” he wrote.
Here’s more about the Capitol fox attacks:
Fox caught on Capitol grounds after reports of attacks
www.youtube.com