Update on Arctic Fox Kit Found Wandering in Oregon Highlights Dangers of Keeping Exotic Animals as Pets

Arctic foxes are a specialized species of fox adapted to live in the harshest and most extreme polar regions of the planet’s north. In other words—not temperate Oregon, where a young Arctic Fox was recently seen wandering around Williamwette Park in Oregon. Though originally mistaken for a native species of wild fox featuring a mutation that would deprive its coat of color, wildlife rescuers soon learned they were dealing with something far more exotic and heartbreaking—someone’s escaped or abandoned pet.

The young fox was found dehydrated and underweight, and its rescuers soon realized that it was not a local wild fox but instead an arctic fox which was for some reason wandering far away from its native range. Its face shape is different from the local foxes, and the hair on its footpads would indicate that it’s a member of this exotic species.

Related: Arctic Fox and Snowy Owl ‘Playing Together’ in the Snow Has People Captivated

She was initially captures by the Bird Alliance, a local wildlife group, who determined that the animal had likely been someone’s pet and was thus incapable of surviving on her own.

After treatment for dehydration and other superficial injuries, the Oregon Zoo was willing to accept the animal on a temporary basis, while they searched for a new home in a zoo or wildlife center that might be able to take on the burden of permanently caring for this wild creature.

All About the Arctic Fox

Arctic foxes are a small, extremely fluffy species of fox who lives all over the northern polar region, with populations in Scandinavia, Siberia, northern Canada, and even Iceland. White Arctic foxes are white during the winter months and get brown patches on their backs during the warmer southern months, while “blue” Arctic foxes are a slate gray or black color year round. The Arctic fox pelt is thought to be the warmest fur of any arctic animal, and they are hunted and farmed for this fur. Though their range is wide, some local populations of Arctic foxes are considered endangered in their region, largely due to habitat shrinkage and climate change, which favors the red fox encroaching on their territory.

Exotic Pets

It’s actually illegal to own an Arctic fox in Oregon, so even if the apparent owners of this animal came forward, they would not be allowed to get their fox back. We may never know the origin of this creature or how it came to be wandering in a park in a city like Portland, but now that she is in the care of trained officials, her future looks bright.

““It’s wonderful to see her thriving, but this fox should never have been a pet,” a zoo official said in a statement. “Like many wild animals that wind up in the illegal pet trade, arctic foxes have complex care needs that can only be met by people with specialized training at licensed and properly equipped facilities.”

Soon, the fox will be transferred to the Ochsner Park Zoo in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where she will hopefully live happily ever after with another Arctic fox ambassador who makes his home there, a a male fox named Apollo.

For more information on why exotic animals should not be kept as pets, please visit, notapet.net.

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