Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary takes in marble fox, believed to be domesticated

 

WEST BEND, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bend is on the hunt this week, making a request online to find the owner of a fox, believed to be domesticated, and now in their care.

We went to the sanctuary on Friday, in time to see their Christmas drive-thru, and one of the biggest attractions this year is something people have heard about on social media.

"Once we posted on our Facebook page, there was about a thousand shares," said David Fechter, co-owner, Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary.

She's the talk of the town. Shalom zookeepers already have affectionately given her a name.

"Yep, Snowflake. I don't know why we called her that," laughed Fechter.

So calm around people, we were allowed to go inside her cage.

"She was very well fed, she had a good body weight, and she had thick winter fur, so we knew that whoever had her, took care of her and she was probably kept outdoors because of the thickness of her fur," said Fechter.

Snowflake's believed to be a marble fox. That's not a naturally occurring species. It's the offspring of red and arctic fox, bred by humans. They can be sought after as exotic pets but seem to be only legal in Wisconsin with a captive wild animal farm license.

"We transported her from one carrying case to another and she allowed us to handle her, okay. So she was just really friendly," said Fechter.

Snowflake was brought here from Beaver Dam, where she'd been spotted numerous times outside a Walmart parking lot where people had been trying to feed her.

Fechter says people may have mistaken the marble fox for a stray dog. It's unclear if Snowflake lived in Beaver Dam before being spotted.

"A fox will run a long distance because they are territorial. and if a new fox comes into their area. they will chase it away," said Fechter.

After a 24-hour quarantine, a veterinarian deemed her healthy. In 10 days, if no one's claimed her, Shalom Wildlife zookeepers plan to open the partition that's now separating her from the red fox in their care and will allow them to live together.

"You know, there's food there 24 hours a day, and so she's just really been a delight," said Fechter.

If she's yours, contact the Shalom Wildlife Zoo. You'll have to provide proof of ownership.