RANGE | The Arctic fox has a circumpolar distribution and occurs in Arctic tundra habitats in northern Europe, northern Asia, and North America. Its range includes Greenland, Iceland, Fennoscandia, Svalbard and other islands in the Barents Sea as well as northern Russia, islands in the Bering Sea, Alaska and Canada as far south as Hudson Bay.

FUN FACTS | The arctic fox can survive incredibly harsh winter temperatures, sometimes nearly -60 degrees. These foxes have short ears and long fur that covers the pads of their feet to prevent frostbite. Their thick white fur coat enables them to camouflage against the ice and snow in winter. During the brief summer in the Arctic, these foxes lose their white fur and expose a short bluish-grey coat underneath that allows them to blend in among the puddles and ponds formed by the melting ice as well as the rocky shores where they search for food. They are omnivores, hunting for small mammals as well as fish, birds and eggs as well as seasonal fruits, vegetables and berries. When food is scarce, they will follow a polar bear and survive by scavenging on their carcasses.

Miska was an unexpected birth at a zoo. A male and female fox were housed together briefly while their enclosures were being remodeled. The zookeepers had believed the female was not in heat, but just a few months later, there were 8 new pups that desperately needed homes. When we learned about the pups, we offered to provide a home for one, which took a long time due to vaccinations and weather delays. When Miska finally arrived, he was very nervous and uncomfortable with people. We reached out to the zoo and learned that the pups had not been getting lots of socializing time, as we had been told. They were each being housed individually in vet cages, brought out once a day to play together, and his only human interactions were during cage cleaning or feeding. It was clear to us that with so few positive experiences with people during these first 6 months, he simply was not ever going to become an ambassador. So he is one of our Sanctuary animals, and we provide him a forever home simply because he needs one.

It’s taken some time to build trust and Miska still hides when strangers are around, but now when he sees one of us coming out in the morning, he grabs a toy and begins to vocalize as he runs around his enclosure.

He LOVES small items that he can carry so hose toys and rope balls are his favorite. There are very few stuffed animals that can withstand the determination and destructive nature of these small canines so heavy duty is a must! He is incredibly inquisitive and quick to learn so is really starting to really enjoy puzzle feeders of all kinds. He is quite a curious little canine so changing his playstructures—his furniture—helps to keep him engaged and stimulated.