A new kind of pet is gaining popularity in Russia - the domesticated fox. The animals are being bred at a research institute in Siberia. Although these foxes are human-friendly, they've still got many wild habits.
Martyn is a Russian Silver Fox who has never lived in the wild and whose home is a three-bedroom Moscow flat. He's domesticasted but still has some wild habits, like hiding and digging holes.
Being a city fox does come with its challenges, say its owners, Larisa and Boris, who wanted a unique pet.
"We take the fox for a walk only in the evening because there are no big dogs around. Hunting dogs are also a big threat. He can get scared and run away," Larisa Rosanova said.
Martyn comes from the Siberian town of Novosibirsk where domesticated foxes are bred at the Insitute of Cytology and Genetics.
While it took centuries to turn a wild dog into a pet, scientists here succeeded with foxes in 50 years of selective breeding.
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