The Legend of D.C.'s Capitol Fox

Last week, early morning commuters spotted a majestic fox crossing the street on Capitol Hill. We couldn’t help but wonder, is this the infamous Capitol fox’s lover coming out for revenge?

The year is 2022, Wordle is at its peak, and you have the “corn kid” TikTok video on repeat in your head. Enter our protagonist, Ms. Capitol Fox, who captured the hearts of Washingtonians despite her violent nature.

When she was first spotted on the Hill chasing nearby squirrels, she became an instant source of bewilderment and amusement for aides and lawmakers.

When the fox started biting people and presumably had rabies, that amusement quickly turned to fear. Walking between offices became a real-life version of “The Last of Us.”

In total, the Capitol fox bit nine people on the Hill, including Representative Ami Bera (D-CA) and Ximena Bustillo, who was a Politico reporter at the time. All the victims quickly recovered; Mr. Bera even said he “held no grudge or ill will” against the Capitol fox and wished her a prosperous future. But DC Health disagreed. Something had to be done about Ms. Fox.

Eventually, in a catastrophe only comparable to the loss of the giant pandas, the Capitol Hill fox was euthanized along with her three kits on April 8, 2022. Turns out, she did have rabies.

Fans of the fox hosted a small vigil for her on the steps of the Capitol and even memorialized her likeness as they mourned her passing. Now, her ghost lives on through several ghost-written Twitter accounts, a very long NYT feature, and the hearts of all Washingtonians. RIP Capitol Fox.