A litter of fox kits, presumed to be the offspring of a fox who bit nine people on Capitol Hill, have been euthanized. According to multiple sources, the kits were found in a den near Capitol Hill and the decision was made to put them down.
The three kits were offspring of a fox who was captured on Tuesday and then euthanized; testing revealed that the female red fox was infected with rabies. Because there was no way to determine if the kits had been exposed, wildlife officials decided to put them down as well. In an email, DC Health explained:
“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.”
As reported by ABC News, the nine people who were bitten by the rabid fox are being contacted and will likely need to undergo a series of shots for the rabies exposure.
DC Health states:
“Anyone who came into physical contact with a fox or its kits, particularly near Capitol Hill, should contact DC Health at 202-442-9143.”
(Stock image of fox kits via Pixabay free images)
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I had read that someone saw a fox in the same area had a fight with a racoon about 10 days earlier. I wonder if this mother fox got the rabies from the racoon? Such a shame to lose a whole family of red fox.
Horrible for all of these animals…….