Aggressive Fox In Arlington Tests Positive For Rabies

ARLINGTON, VA — An aggressive fox in the Gulf Branch neighborhood of Arlington bit a child and “had potential contact” with three pets on Wednesday, according to Arlington County.

By mid-afternoon Wednesday, officers with the Animal Welfare League had captured the fox, ARLnow reported.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington said Friday that the fox captured by the animal control team tested positive for rabies.

The child and the three pets "are receiving appropriate treatment and follow up as needed for their safety," AWLA said.

Beginning at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Arlington County Animal Control and the Arlington County Police Department began receiving complaints about a fox aggressively approaching people and dogs around the 3500 block of N Utah Street and 4507 of 33rd Street North. The incidents were believed to involve the same fox, the county said.

“The fox in question was exhibiting signs and symptoms consistent with rabies,” the county said.

ARLnow reported a 3-year-old boy was bitten by the fox inside a garage on N. 33rd Street around 2:15 p.m.

The county asked neighbors to keep pets and children inside unless supervised in the hours before the fox was captured Wednesday around 3:25 p.m.

Rabies is a disease that people and animals can catch from the bite or scratch of infected animals. It is fatal if medical care is not given promptly.

Arlington County Animal Control urges residents to only contact the department when a fox is displaying abnormal behavior. Urban foxes are born in Arlington and are generally familiar with people, pets and residents' routines.

"Occasionally, a curious fox may need to be reminded to be wary of people, especially if someone has been feeding them, which is not advised or legal," the county said. "The easiest way to encourage a healthy fear of people is to use humane negative conditioning techniques, called 'hazing.' Some examples of hazing are to clap your hands, raise your voice, blow a whistle, or shake/toss a aluminum can with some pennies inside."