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 bread 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.

In Soviet days the experiments were purely scientific. However, with today's fashion for pet foxes, it has turned into a profitable business.

“Only well to do people can afford a tame fox. It costs over $2,000. It needs lots of space. Other than that, it's like a dog,” Pavel Andreev, manager of Bioritm Limited, says.

Martin enjoys dog food, but prefers fresh chicken as a special treat.

Due to selective breeding Martin doesn't have the distinctive musky smell of his undomesticated brothers.

Animal right activists say the domestication of wild animals is a crime.

“The animals are suffering, the animals have the instincts for living in the wild, but they are limited to small flats, and they develop diseases because of selection,” Irina Novozhilova said, president of the Vita Animal Rights Centre.

But Martin’s owners say they are saving him from a much worse fate – the fashion industry!

And they hope their example will encourage people to see foxes as pets not coats.