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The spooky white blur that haunted Willamette Park last week was a fantastic madam fox.
The Bird Alliance of Oregon confirmed that a mammal with white fur recorded near the Sellwood Bridge’s west end on Wednesday, Oct. 9 is a female Arctic fox. The six-and-a-half pound fox, which was found in Willamette Park, is being treated for dehydration and malnourishment at BAO’s Wildlife Care Center, but is otherwise in good health.
BAO doesn’t know how the fox made its way to Oregon, but believes she either escaped captivity or was dumped by her former captors, as she lacked the survival skills and species-appropriate fear of humans exhibited by wild foxes. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is determining the next steps needed for the fox’s continued care, according to a statement.
“After a few days of being on the loose, the female fox was desperate enough and approached a person for help, as it’s likely that humans have provided her food her whole life,” said Ashley Lema, WCC’s manager, in the statement. “Not only is she in the wrong habitat, but she just doesn’t have the skills necessary, like hunting, to survive in the wild.”
Arctic foxes are native to the world’s northernmost regions, including Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, Bering Sea islands and northern Russia, among other locales—but in a word, not Oregon. OPB first reported the fox’s sighting on Oct. 10. Lema noted the danger that releasing a tamed exotic animal into the wild poses for everyone involved.
“Wild animals aren’t pets, and treating them like domestic animals isn’t just dangerous for people, but it’s often a death sentence for wildlife,” she said. “Even if they are rescued or removed from captivity, the animal will never be able to return to the wild.”