60 Years Ago, A Scientist Attempted To Domesticate Foxes. This Is The Result So Far

September 14, 2018

Can foxes be domesticated?

William Poor, a science producer for Verge Science, met the very cute and very bizarre result of an almost 60-year-long experiment: foxes that have been specially bred for their dog-like friendliness toward people.

The story goes back to 1959, when geneticist Dmitri Belyaev began selectively breeding foxes. Ones that weren't aggressive or afraid of people were allowed to have offspring. After Belyaev’s death in 1985, geneticist Lyudmila Trut took over. Over time, the foxes became more dog-like, but they still have a long way to go.