 Tame red foxes were once used to draw ducks close to hunting blinds.A strain of truly domesticated red foxes was introduced by Russian geneticist Dmitry Belyayev who, over a 40-year period, bred several generations of silver foxes on fur farms, selecting only those individuals that showed the least fear of humans.Eventually, Belyayev's team selected only those that showed the most positive response to humans, thus resulting in a population of silver foxes whose behaviour and appearance was significantly changed.