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.

For the first year of his life, Suka was kept in a travel carrier at a mall, where he was used for photo ops with the public. As he grew older, they used him less often, so he was transferred and housed at their facilities until a new home could be found. They reached out to us when he was approximately a year old, telling us that he was handleable and that he had been used in programs. After he arrived and we were not able to get anywhere near him, we contacted the facility and learned he had not been handled since he was 6 months old. With no trust or positive relationship with people, he is not able to be an outreach ambassador, but we were glad that at least he is in a much better home.

Suka loves to dig, which is pretty typical of arctic foxes, but he takes it to the extreme! He is constantly creating new canyons in his enclosure for us to fall in. He loves to hang out in his firehose hammock, enjoying a sunny winter afternoon as well as playing with toys in his pool in the summertime.

SPECIAL NEEDS | At his age, Suka is considered geriatric. He is given supplements and medications for his advanced arthritis. He is moving to a new large octagon enclosure soon and would be happy to have new “furniture” to play in and play on.

Suka likes stuffed animals, though they almost always end up buried. This makes sense because storing food—called caching—is how they survive the long winter months, relying on what they had caught and buried when food was more plentiful. He adores toys with sqeakers inside—they just have to be heavy duty enough to withstand his sharp teeth and powerful jaws. He likes activities that involve snacks so puzzle feeders and other activities that enable him to work for treats are always a favorite.