Sam the Fox became a celebrity in Ireland during the pandemic lockdowns.Trinity College Dublin @tcddublin, X

Sam the Fox, who became an Irish celebrity after being spotted around Dublin at the height of the pandemic and has since been looked after by staff at Trinity College, has sadly passed away after sustaining a leg injury.

Trinity Sustainability announced Sam the Fox's passing on social media yesterday, Tuesday, April 8.

In January, Kildare Wildlife Rescue said Sam was rescued by Collie Ennis, Trinity Sustainability's Biodiversity Officer, after the popular fox was spotted with a badly injured leg.

On Tuesday, Trinity Sustainability said that Sam the Fox "got loving care at Grey Abbey veterinary care to try and restore his mobility.

"They did all they could for weeks, but unfortunately it was not meant to be for Sam and the ethical decision was to put him down.

"Sam had a great life as the beloved Trinity fox."

Trinity Sustainability shared a sweet video of Sam the Fox stopping by for his nightly evening treat of tuna from Collie Ennis.

In April 2020 - amidst Ireland's pandemic lockdowns - Kevin O'Mahony shared this clip of a fox roaming Dublin's Grafton Street which, in normal times, would be bustling with pedestrians.

The clip went viral, with plenty of people fascinated by the unusual sight.

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Not long after, Paul Lanigan captured what has become an iconic shot for the Irish Times, which revealed that Ennis had named the fox Sam. (At the time, no one was sure if Sam was male or female.)

After explaining that Sam had been kicked out of his den, Ennis said: "All the time now at Trinity, you see him sitting at Lincoln Place gate at the dental hospital mournfully looking towards where Mammy and Daddy hang around.

"That's why he's out and about in the city centre during the day looking a bit panicked."

Ennis added: “We were concerned that he was not eating, but we can see from the photograph that there is no need to be concerned. They are incredibly adaptable animals. They can switch from McDonald’s leftovers to killing rats and pigeons within days which is exactly what happened.”

Ever since, Ennis chronicled his interactions with Sam the Fox on social media.

In February 2021, Ennis revealed that Sam was going to be a mammy.

That April, Trinity College Dublin announced - much to Ennis' delight - that Sam had welcomed her cubs.

Sadly, in January, Ennis confirmed that Sam was off to get treatment for a badly injured leg.

“It’s an incredible story and one that’s reached so many people,” Ennis told Trinity News this week, adding that Sam had been a constant of his routine in Trinity for the past seven years.

“I obviously was very fond of him.”