FOX FILES

Meet The Russian Domesticated Fox Vlad

Hcated because if its offspring were not socialized around people they would be just like other foxes. We would say that the fox has been tamed.

Reef: What is a Russian domesticated fox?

Reef The Fox

Reef is a red fox that was saved from a fur farm. He now lives in Key Largo with his human, Nicole Navarro.

i friends! Reef the fox here with your weekly “Reef’s Report.” This week, I have a special guest all the way from Russia. Well, he lives in California now at the Judith A. Bassett Canid Education and Conservation Center (JABCECC), but he was born in Russia. He is just as sassy as I am and he also has a weekly report called the “Friday Chat with Vlad.” As you will soon read, he is proud of who he is and where he comes from and I caught a hint of attitude but since I am a professional journalist, I will just keep my snoot shut.

Reef: Hi Vlad, thanks for taking the time out of your obviously busy schedule to answer some questions today. Tell us a little bit about you.

Vlad: I am a Russian domesticated fox. This means that first off, humans selectively bred my relatives for a particular trait and only that trait, tameness. They did this for many years to a whole bunch of foxes. They did this so much in fact that it actually changed my genetics. This means that my offspring, if I were to have them, and we all know I am the most eligible bachelor around here, would be tame just because of the fact that they possess my superior genetics. Alternatively, if someone were to take a fox kit and raise it away from other foxes and only around humans, that fox could grow up to be quite friendly to people. This fox is not domesti-