Arctic fox found scratching at Tennessee woman's door

Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in Tennessee said they are now caring for an exotic fox that was found scratching at a resident's backdoor to be let inside.

Juniper Russo, the owner of For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue, said a woman contacted the organization a few days ago to report a silver fox was scratching at her back door on Soddy-Daisy, and Russo arrived to discover the animal was an Arctic fox.

Russo shared photos of the fox on social media, and was soon contacted by the animal's most recent caretaker. The man said the fox, Cooper, had belonged to a friend, but he took the fox to his own home after the pet showed signs of neglect.

"The habitat that he had built for Cooper wasn't really suitable for a fox, and he was able to break out pretty quickly, and that's how he ended up, you know, at a stranger's house pawing at the door," Russo told WTVC-TV.

Russo said the man agreed to surrender custody of Cooper to a sanctuary, and she started him on prescription food to help him gain weight. She said her rescue is only licensed for native species of fox, so Cooper will have a new permanent home at Exotic Pet Wonderland in Knoxville.

Non-native foxes, including Arctic foxes and fennec foxes, are legal to keep as pets in Tennessee without a permit.