Sam, the beloved Trinity Fox, has passed away

Posted on: 10 April 2025

We first met Sam, the Trinity Fox, six years ago. He was a bold and curious fox and the College community instantly took a liking to him. He had a distinct mark on his rear right leg from an encounter with a car, making him easy to recognise on his nightly rounds.

Nicknamed ‘Sam’ by staff and students, he became a familiar sight on the Trinity campus and Dublin city centre. Sam's territory included Merrion square, Temple Bar and government buildings, but his home and den were on campus.

Sam became a celebrity during the pandemic when he was spotted having the run of Dublin city centre. His antics were captured by many Irish media outlets including the Irish Times, RTE News, and Lovin Dublin. Sam was even featured as a College April Fools prank when plans for a campus mural of Sam the Fox were greatly welcomed by the College community. 

Staff, students, alumni and the public were further delighted when, a year after being found emaciated and mange-ridden, Sam went on to have five cubs in the spring of 2021. The family of foxes lived in the Provost’s garden on the university campus. Sam was also immortalised by the poet Derek Mahon. The poet’s posthumously published collection Washing Up (Gallery Press, 2022) includes A Fox in Grafton Street, which commemorates one of Sam’s late-evening trips to the city’s premier retail bins.

Unfortunately, another encounter with traffic before Christmas 2024 seriously injured Sam. Attempts were made by Kildare Wildlife Rescue and Collie Ennis, Trinity's Biodiversity Officer, to capture him and he was safely captured in early February. Sam was transferred to Kildare Wildlife Rescue where he was comfortable, fed and cared for while the vets made attempts to repair his badly dislocated hip. Unfortunately, it wouldn't set back in place and the ethical decision to put him to sleep was made.

Collie Ennis, Trinity's Biodiversity Officer, said: “It is comforting to know he was so well cared for by the wonderful staff in Kildare Wildlife Rescue instead of suffering, cold and hungry and hidden away somewhere on campus. For me, Sam was a wonderful example of how urban areas like Trinity see great benefits from protecting nature and providing habitats for a range of wildlife. He brought great joy to so many people and we were happy to have him and all our other wildlife, bats, bees, frogs and more on our campus.”

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