Experts Don’t Know How This Mysterious White Fox Ended Up in Oregon, More Than 1,000 Miles Away From Home

Richard Melling and his wife were out for a morning walk in southwest Portland, Oregon, when they spotted a small, white creature that seemed out of place.

Playing with an abandoned plastic bag on the west side of the city’s Sellwood Bridge, “it looked like a puppy,” Melling told the Oregonian/OregonLive’s Tatum Todd. But he knew it wasn’t a dog.

Later, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife concluded Melling had spotted a fox, although they weren’t initially sure of its species. On social media, some commenters speculated the creature might be a young red or gray fox with leucism, a condition that causes a loss of pigmentation, resulting in white fur. Whatever the case, biologists thought it was “certainly rare,” reports the Oregonian.

Before long, experts solved the mystery. The animal is a different species, one that is not found in Oregon, because it lives 1,000 miles away in the frozen tundra: It’s an Arctic fox.

“This Arctic fox probably takes the cake for the most interesting thing I’ve seen here,” says Ashley Lema, Wildlife Care Center manager with the Bird Alliance of Oregon, to Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Courtney Sherwood.

Unusual white fox spotted in Portland stumps biologists

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The animal was weak and dehydrated when another bystander took it to the wildlife hospital operated by the Bird Alliance of Oregon, leading experts to suppose the fox had accidentally escaped from captivity or been dumped by people who kept her illegally. “The fox doesn’t show a species-appropriate fear response to people, and was actually approaching humans when rescued,” the Bird Alliance says in a statement.

While officials don’t have information yet on how the Arctic fox got to Portland, they believe “the animal has only known a life of captivity,” says Ali Berman, a spokesperson for the Bird Alliance of Oregon, to KOIN 6 News’ John Ross Ferrara.

The fox, which experts determined is female, might look bigger because of her fluffy white fur, but she only weighs about six and a half pounds and is 35 inches long. She is a juvenile, experts say, but essentially fully grown—still, she’s smaller than native foxes. And as a creature adapted for cold temperatures, she also has foot pads with more fur than native foxes have.

“Even just from having worked with our native fox, both gray and red, I knew as soon as I looked at the fox that it was an arctic fox,” Lema tells Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Definitely made for the snow.”

Arctic foxes can be found in tundra habitat throughout the Arctic Circle. In North America, they appear from western Alaska through northern Canada. They’re not listed as endangered, but it is still illegal to own one in the state of Oregon, as the species is considered an exotic animal.

For now, the fox is staying at the Bird Alliance’s Wildlife Care Center while officials find a better home for her, which might be a zoo or a sanctuary, Lema tells Oregon Public Broadcasting. And since it is illegal to own the animals, “there is zero chance she goes back to her owner.”

“So even if somebody comes forward and says, ‘That’s my fox,’ they can’t have her back,” she adds.

This Arctic fox’s tale is common among many wild animals held in captivity. “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,” Lema says in the Bird Alliance statement. Often, these rescued animals don’t have the hunting skills necessary to survive in the wild, so they can’t be released. This can lead them to rely on humans for food and care.

While the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife determines the fox’s permanent home, wildlife experts are taking care of her and helping get her back to health.

Alexa Robles-Gil | | READ MORE

Alexa Robles-Gil is a bilingual science journalist based in New York City. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Undark, Inside Climate News and more.