Early experience with the farm environment and effects on later behaviour in silver Vulpes vulpes and blue foxes Alopex lagopus.

Seventy-one silver fox and 141 blue fox cubs were exposed to constant visual contact with the farm environment from the age of 2 to 8 weeks. The exposure consisted in opening a door in the nest box facing the feed gang-way. Control cubs (33 silver and 77 blue foxes) were reared in similar but closed nest boxes. All cubs were tested at the age of 12-16 weeks and again at the age of 23-28 weeks; during these tests the behavioural responses of the foxes towards a human being were recorded. Both tests showed that in the two species, the early experience with the farm environment reduced the fear responses of the foxes towards humans. The conclusion of the study was that early visual experience with the farm environment makes the foxes better adapted to captivity, including the presence of humans.