Fox And 3 Kits Caught At US Capitol Euthanized After Testing Positive For Rabies

WASHINGTON, DC — A fox and her kits captured earlier this week at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., were found to have been exposed to rabies and were later euthanized, according to news reports.

The mother fox was captured on Wednesday, after eluding U.S. Capitol Police and animal control officers. After the fox tested positive for rabies, she was euthanized, according to DC Health officials.

CBS News reported that nine people were bitten recently by the mother fox, which had acted aggressively.

Frank Thorp, an NBC News off-air producer and reporter covering Congress, posted updates to his Twitter account about the capture of the foxes. At 12:16 p.m. on Thursday he posted:

"In the worst possible news ever, per DC Health, the three fox kits that were recovered from the den where the mother tested positive for rabies have been 'humanely euthanized' because 'the mother tested positive for the rabies virus and the kits could have been exposed.'"

In recent days, the mother fox has nipped a half dozen people, The Washington Post reported. California Democratic Congressman Ami Bera, who was attacked by the fox near the Russell Senate Office Building Monday evening, told The Post that "yesterday was probably my most unusual day on the Hill in 10 years."

Related: Outfoxed For A Time, Capitol Police Catch A 'Biting' Aggressor

Bera told CBS News the fox attack was "totally unprovoked." The animal came at him from behind and tore his pant leg, but not his sock or skin. Politico reporter Ximena Bustillo also confirmed to CBS the fox nipped at her ankle, and she swung her backpack at it because she was afraid it would jump in her face. The fox ran away when people started yelling.

Once DC Health determined that the mother fox was rabid, it began reaching out to those who had reported being bitten.

Red fox aren't uncommon, and they've adapted well to both urban and rural landscapes. Red fox are frequently seen around the nation's capital, The Washington Post reported several years ago, and don't need much in the way of habitat to thrive.

Kits are born in March and April, and both parents typically stay with them in the den until they leave as juveniles. Many people speculated the aggressive fox was just defending its family.