December 1, 2020 – 22-year-old Jasmin Kunišinac, a former contestant on the reality TV show Farma, is raising an orphaned fox in his family home. The pair are local celebrities in Vinogradci, near Valpovo, Slavonia, thanks to their walks around the village, and also quite the hit on social media too
It’s not unusual for Slavonian people to feel connected to the land and nature which surrounds them. The rich soils of the Pannonian basin in east Croatia often provide an occupation for at least one family member. Certainly, these soils will put food on the family table. The family of 22-year-old Jasmin Kunišinac, who live in Vinogradci, just west of Belišće and Valpovo, is no different. Jasmin’s always felt connected to the land.
You could tell as much from Jasmin’s 2018 appearance on the Croatian reality TV show, Farma. Upon entering the show, he was described as not lacking experience of life in a rural village. Viewers were told that, in his free time, Jasmin liked to ride, fish, hang out with friends and help abandoned animals. He said his favourite animals were horses and foxes.
Jasmin and Odi
Since early 2020, Jasmin’s fondness for foxes has been evident for the 250 or so residents of Vinogradci to see, as he has taken on responsibilities for an orphaned fox. Villagers see him taking the fox, Odi, for walks around Vinogradci on a lead.
Vinogradci is focussed around three small streets, down which Jasmin and Odi walk. The houses are narrow at the front, elongated and stretching back away from the street. Behind them, long gardens stretch even further, often containing vegetables, fruit trees, animals or additional buildings for food production. The name of the settlement itself means ‘vineyards’.
The quiet streets of Vinogradci, where Jasmin takes his fox Odi for walks © Grad Belišće
It is exactly the sort of land where wild foxes like to roam. By those who keep chickens on their land, these foxes are not always welcome.
Jasmin and his cousin found Odi by the side of the road at the beginning of the year. The pair had been cycling to their grandmother’s when they came across the fox cub who, at that time, was no more than a couple of months old. They found the remains of Odi’s mom not far away. She had been shot.
The pair decided to take Odi home and fed the fox with milk from a bottle, in much the same way you might a baby child. Jasmin’s mum was less than thrilled. Her’s is a household already quite full. As well as mom and dad, Jasmin has three sisters and a brother at home. And that’s without even mentioning the other animals they have.
Thankfully, as Odi has become domesticated, he seems to have fit in with family life. He plays with the Kunišinac’s Rottweiler and even their chickens seem to have got used to the sight of him. Jasmin’s six-year-old sister particularly loves playing with Odi, who is more lively as the daylight begins to fade – foxes are nocturnal animals.
Odi and Jasmin are not only celebrities thanks to their walks around the quiet streets of Vinogradci. Thanks to folks’ familiarity with Jasmin on the reality show, Odi has become quite the hit on social media. In addition to Jasmin acquiring more followers on Facebook thanks to the fox’s arrival, Odi has attracted some 18,000 views on TikTok.
This is not the first fox that the Kunišinac family have taken in either. Jasmin’s dad found one while he was out fishing, which they cared for before he left to be cared for at the zoo in Nasice. Given the foxes fondness for the fields around Vinogradci, there’s no telling if Odi will be the last fox to be taken into their home. Who knows, the Kunišinac family and their foxes might create a long-running rural series as popular as Farma.
All photos taken from Jasmin Kunišinac Facebook
