Arctic Fox Discovered in Southwest Portland Headed to Wisconsin

The Arctic fox found in Southwest Portland last month is ready to move to her new home tomorrow: Ochsner Park Zoo in Baraboo, Wis. She will join a male fox named Apollo.

“We’re grateful to our partners at the Oregon Zoo for providing wonderful temporary care for this little fox, and to the Oregon Department of Agriculture for all of their work to find a safe and stable home for her,” Quinn Read, the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s conservation director, said in a statement. “While her story reminds us that wild animals are not pets, it’s been heartening to see so much community support and investment in her future.”

The young Arctic fox arrived at the Oregon Zoo on Nov. 8 after being in the care of the Bird Alliance of Oregon since her discovery in mid-October. For the past five days, the fox has been hopping over logs, foraging for her diet and practicing being a fox, said Kate Gilmore of the Oregon Zoo.

“She’s been very curious and interested in her surroundings….We’re glad we can provide care and enrichment for her until she’s ready for her next chapter,” Gilmore said.

Still, the fox is not a good candidate for rewilding. The Bird Alliance determined that she had been living as a pet because she didn’t show a “species appropriate fear response to people and was actually approaching humans when rescued,” according to the Bird Alliance.

Keeping an Arctic fox as a pet is illegal in Oregon, as is the buying and selling of many wild animals. In Oregon, people can report suspected illegal animal sales by calling the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division hotline at 800-452-7888 or learn more at NotAPet.net.

“It’s wonderful to see her thriving, but this fox should never have been a pet,” Gilmore said. “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.”

Ochsner Park Zoo is a small city zoo founded in 1926. It is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed facility and a member of the Wisconsin Municipal Zoo Associates, according to the zoo. It specializes in rehabilitated wildlife and animals rescued from the exotic pet trade.