Domestication of foxes largely began on P.E.I., researchers determine

Many Islanders know that foxes can be a bit friendlier on Prince Edward Island than in other provinces. They roam roadsides and beaches at dawn and dusk, and many aren't shy about being photographed.

There may be a good reason for that — the Island is one of the first places in the world where foxes were domesticated.

"The first successful fox breeding pelts were produced in P.E.I. in 1896, and from there the industry really exploded out of P.E.I.," said Halie Rando, a biologist at Smith College in Massachusetts. 

Rando was the lead researcher on a study published this spring in the Journal of Heredity, which looked at the history of fox domestication and how wild fox genetics have been shaped by both geography and time.

"P.E.I. is critical for the domestication of foxes, which is a really special domestication event because it happened so recently in history," Rando told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier.

Rando originally became interested in the animals as a kid, and heard stories from her aunt and grandmother about the unique foxes on P.E.I. Then, she saw a PBS documentary about a group of foxes in Russia that were bred to show dog-like behaviour, a topic she later ended up researching.

With a background in computer science, Rando hopes to understand the statistics behind fox breeding, not just the results of it.

"It gives us a lot more power to understand behaviour," she said. "I've just tried to really tangle out different elements that we can look at quantitatively to try to help us understand these really, really complex phenomena."

In the late 1800s, fox pelts were extremely valuable, especially the silver and black ones similar to those featured on P.E.I.'s coat of arms.

"One pelt could be a year's salary," Rando said.

In the late 1890s, a team of two farmers-turned-trappers living on the Island began working to breed foxes in captivity.

Their goal was to bring out recessive pelt colours rather than the more common red fur.

"They just started making money hand over fist by breeding these really high-quality pelts,"  Rando said.

But it was more complex than just getting the foxes to breed. Rando said foxes become highly stressed in captivity, so it took time for breeders to find the right environment.