A strange-looking creature that was spotted happily trotting around train tracks in Oregon left even wildlife experts mystified.
Richard Melling and his wife were taking a morning walk across Sellwood Bridge in Portland earlier this month when they noticed the animal in the distance.
A strange-looking creature spotted happily trotting around train tracks in Oregon left wildlife experts mystified
In Melling’s video taken from about 40 feet away, a tiny white fox-like animal with a long tail and skinny legs could be seen prancing around train tracks.
The white fox trotted around while Portland resident Richard Melling and his wife filmed it
Several experts agreed the animal was a fox but could not determine what type
‘This animal looks closer to an arctic fox than any fox native to our area. It is potentially some kind of hybrid animal that escaped from captivity, however we can’t 100% rule out that it is a wild leucistic (white) gray fox either,’ he continued.
White fox in Portland this morning!
byu/kimanatee inPortland
It was not until the lost animal was later picked up by a good Samaritan and taken to a shelter that experts were able to determine it was in fact an arctic fox.
Artic foxes are not typically found in Portland and usually live in far colder regions such as Alaska, Greenland and Iceland
The fox was thin, weighing just 6.5 pounds, and was dehydrated when it was rescued
The fox was nursed back to health at the Bird Alliance of Oregon Wildlife Care Center
It is believed the fox accidentally escaped captivity or was dumped by its owner.
An unidentified man was seen walking a fox that looked like the animal Melling saw in a nearby park
The fox was thin, weighing just 6.5 pounds, and was dehydrated when it was rescued, the outlet reported.