When a call came in Monday night about a fox sighting in the US Capitol, it didn’t come as a shock to Christine Leonard, the director of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at the Capitol’s architect.
“While it’s often not very visible to the public,” she said, “it’s not uncommon for us to find some animals outside among us.” Her office notified the Capitol Police, who were trying to get hold of the “four-legged assailant.” Normally, a captive animal would be returned to its natural habitat – perhaps a nearby forest.
But things took an ugly turn.
The fox bit at least nine people, including a congressman (Representative Ami Bera, a California Democrat).
By the end of the week, the fox had been captured, euthanized and tested positive for rabies. The city’s health department reported Thursday evening that the fox’s three kittens had also been euthanized due to their exposure to their rabid mother.
Historically, the fox has not fared well in American politics — or rather, in the hands of American politicians. This week’s version of a Capitol fox hunt was very different from the one in which the first members of Congress — and the first president of the United States — participated. Mostly it was about killing the fox, and not necessarily in a humane way.
Thus, the legacy of fox hunting is intertwined with modern DC
A bit like golfing?
For starters, fox hunting is shaping the way we talk about politics today. The “whip” in Congress stems from the “whipper-in,” a fox-hunting role that kept the dogs together while chasing their prey.
The fox hunt was a status symbol transplanted from Britain, where parliament adopted the term ‘whip’. There, fox hunting was considered a sport practiced by the landed gentry, not unlike ballroom dancing or fencing. It was just another way to show yourself around town, an alternative to showing up at the tavern or at a theater.
Maurizio Valsania, who is writing a book on George Washington’s relationship with masculinity, likened fox hunting to golf. For politicians, both activities are a kind of “social achievement” that proves that “you are at the top of society,” he said.
“It goes beyond the athletic gesture,” he said. “It’s more about closing deals and connecting.”
George Washington himself was an avid fox hunter and even bred his own fox dogs. Today, Washington, the father of our country, is also known as the father of the American hunting dog.
Washington was sparse in detail in recording his many diary entries documenting the fox hunt, usually stating who accompanied him for the hunt, how long the hunt lasted, whether it was successful and sometimes, where his dogs eventually caught the fox (often cornered in a tree). He seemed to show no respect for the fox himself.
He may have recognized that some foxes were smart enough to escape, but he maintained his respect for the foxhounds, said Bruce Ragsdale, who has written extensively on Washington.
“It almost always ends the same way,” Ragsdale said, “which isn’t good for the fox.”
When the wilderness wanders in
In most cases, wildlife is welcome at the Capitol, said Leonard, whose office handled early calls about the fox. It is a haven for bird watchers and a home for raccoons. It is often visited by a snowy owl, and every now and then one sees a deer, or more rarely, a coyote. Leonard’s office even helped build a ramp for ducklings struggling to get out of the water at the Capitol Reflecting Pool.
Fox sightings are rare in the Capitol, but they are not unheard of. There was a round of fox sightings in 2014, including a fox eating a squirrel on the Capitol lawn in front of tourists. And during the Obama administration, a fox took refuge on the White House grounds.
As much as Leonard supports living peacefully with Capitol’s wildlife, sometimes, she said, the best home for them requires a little distance from the “wild corridors of Capitol Hill.”
Together again
On Politics regularly shows work by Times photographers. Here’s what Kenny Holston told us about capturing the image above:
There was a noticeable atmosphere of anticipation in the White House on Tuesday as the press and staff prepared for the return of former President Barack Obama, who had not been in the residence since 2017.
White House press officers took us to the East Room, which was packed with guests eager to catch a glimpse of Obama and watch President Biden sign an executive order expanding attention under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
As photographers struggled for position, a Secret Service agent approached me and two of my colleagues and told us to move — he thought we would be too close to Biden, Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. But the area he wanted us to move to would have removed us completely out of sight.
We held our positions and enlisted the help of a press wrangler to plead our case. Reluctantly, the agent let us stay. It wasn’t long before the announcement came through the loudspeaker: they had arrived.
After I took a first photo with all three, I crouched down, switched to my second camera with a wider lens, set it directly on the floor and took the photo above – capturing the memorial mood in the room as a laughing Biden and Obama made their way past zealous press photographers.
— Leah & Blake
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