– I was a bit shocked at first, and didn’t quite understand what it was. That’s what Tormod Fyhn Hanssen says, who was at work on Monday evening when he saw the rare animal in the car park just outside. He filmed the mountain fox, which has become a bit of a talking point at work. 2022 has been a very good year for the Norwegian arctic fox. 354 puppies have been born in the total of 72 litters that have been registered. Two young mountain foxes have been filmed in Trondheim in recent days, one is white and one is blue. There are still traces in the snow of the mountain fox that was seen and filmed by Tormod Fyhn Hanssen at Leangen in Trondheim. Photo: Jøte Toftaker Asking people to collect poo Senior researcher Craig Jackson from the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA) has no doubt that it is a red fox he sees in the video taken on his mobile phone. He is happy that the population of arctic foxes is increasing. This was not the case in 2000. Then there were only 40 to 60 adult arctic foxes left in the whole of Norway, Sweden and Finland. A large rescue operation was therefore launched. A breeding station was started on the mountain in Oppdal. Fox cubs from here are released in many mountain areas. For the arctic fox, 2022 has been a good year. The stock is increasing. Photo: Craig Jackson (NINA) This means that researchers have DNA samples from all individuals. Now the researchers hope that someone in Trondheim will see what the fox is doing. – If people manage to collect poo, it will be very useful for us. It is quite likely that we will be able to trace it back to its special den location. So if people have the opportunity to do that, we really appreciate it, says the researcher. – It will be a Christmas present for us, he says. He thinks the mountain fox may have come from Tydal municipality on the Swedish border. Here a total of eight litters were observed this year. Researcher Craig Jackson at NINA hopes for help from people who observe arctic foxes and manage to collect poo. Photo: Jøte Toftaker Two arctic foxes seen in Trondheim A arctic fox was also seen in the district of Moholt in Trondheim on Sunday evening. This one was blue, and not white like the other fox. – What is this, is commented when a video of the fox is taken. It is a rare sight. There are many indications that the two mountain foxes are siblings, says researcher Craig Jackson from NINA. – When two mountain foxes are suddenly seen in Trondheim in a few days, it is quite likely that they are young animals that have wandered out together as siblings, he says. Facts about mountain fox Available in two color variants, white and blue. Lives in the high mountains and the Arctic, can withstand extreme cold. Lifespan from 3-5 years. Smaller than red fox, from 2-5 kg. Live in pairs with habitats up to 60 km2. Is linked to dens which can be very old. Mating time March – April. The pups are born in May-June and wander away from the den in September-October. Can walk far, up to 200 miles. Small rodents and woodpeckers are the most important source of food. Otherwise eats what it comes across. The mountain fox in Scandinavia has large litters of puppies in peak years for lemurs and small rodents. Gets few or no puppies in the bottom year. Around 1900, the mountain fox was quite common in the Norwegian mountains, but because of its fur it was hunted. In 1930 it was completely protected, but the population has still not been able to recover. In Norway and Sweden, measures have been initiated to prevent the species from dying out, as it is considered a critically endangered species. In the period 2011-2019, 255 arctic fox litters were found. In 2019, there should be a minimum of 212 adult arctic foxes in Norway. Source: Norwegian Environment Agency The other mountain fox was filmed at Moholt in Trondheim last weekend. Photo: Tiril Thun Hjorthol Disappeared quickly from car park It was Adresseavisen that first mentioned the video of the mountain fox, which Tormod Fyhn Hanssen had taken when he was at work at Leangen. There are still traces in the snow where the arctic fox sniffed around the cars. Afterwards it disappeared from the car park and in the direction of the city. – It is certainly quite rare and it was exciting to see, he says to news. The mountain fox looks a little confused as it sniffs cars on Levangen. The picture was taken on Monday evening. Photo: Tormod Fyhn Hanssen
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