Silver Fox Tomek

Tomek was born in 2023 on a Polish fur farm. Like millions of other fur animals, he lived his life in cruel conditions in a cramped wire cage. Every year, around 100 million animals such as foxes, minks, raccoon dogs, chinchillas, and rabbits still die worldwide for the fur industry. After a miserable life, they are killed at the age of six to seven months and then processed into fashion accessories. In the EU alone, there are still around 5,000 fur farms.  

Tomek's fate also seemed sealed when the so-called “fur harvest” began in winter. But he was very lucky and was freed from the fur farm in January 2024 thanks to the courageous rescue operation by a group of dedicated animal welfare activists. 

Since May 2024, silver fox Tomek has been living at TIERART, where he can enjoy the rest of his life in safety and in conditions appropriate to his species – surrounded by people who care for his well-being with love and devotion. Finally, he can feel natural ground beneath his paws, romp around to his heart's content, dig in the earth, doze in the sun, play with other foxes, and simply be a fox.

After all the suffering Tomek had to endure, he enjoys his new life to the fullest every day and has found the perfect partner in silver fox Mika, with whom he shares his enclosure.

The first encounter shortly after Tomek's arrival at TIERART was a little rocky, as the male fox had spent his entire life isolated in a wire cage and therefore had no opportunity to learn how to socialize with other foxes. Mika is a naturally very confident and assertive vixen who is used to interacting with larger males. In the past, she had lived with Frodo, a pastel fox male, who has since passed away.

In the first few hours and days after they were introduced, Tomek was visibly intimidated by Mika's confident demeanor, and the two repeatedly growled at each other loudly. However, it remained at threatening gestures and never escalated to biting or fighting. 

At first, Tomek stayed in the same corner of the enclosure and kept a watchful eye on Mika. When the zookeepers brought food into the enclosure, Mika grabbed a large piece of meat and placed it on the ground right in front of Tomek, as if to show him that she wanted to be friends. This was the beginning of a close friendship, and the two are now inseparable.

Mika and Tomek love to run and romp around, and they can often be seen playfully chasing each other around the enclosure, constantly switching roles between “hunter” and “prey.”