Fox mistaken for dog to stay at Yukon Wildlife Preserve

The little red fox that isn't a dog is staying in the Yukon. The Yukon Wildlife Preserve has raised the money it needs to build an enclosure for the animal.

The fox kit was found in the Marsh Lake area this spring. People thought it was a puppy until staff at the preserve properly identified it. 

The fox was going to be sent to Ontario because the preserve didn't have the money to build it an enclosure, but staff rallied to keep the fox in the North.

It needed more than $10,000 for the project and earlier this week it was about $2,000 short.

Greg Meredith, executive director of the preserve, said he's pleased the fox will stay to give people a chance to learn more about red foxes.

"He's a national star," he said. "It just captured everyone's attention. People in the Yukon, we're used to seeing lots of red foxes running around our neighbourhoods. But you don't really get a chance to slow down and study them a little bit."

There are three Arctic foxes at the wildlife preserve, and a few wild red foxes. This fox is the only hand-reared one.