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California is GPS tracking a Sierra Nevada red fox for the first time. Why this is a big deal
California officials estimate there are fewer than 50 Sierra Nevada red foxes.
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Courtesy California Department of Fish and Wildlife
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Topline:
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is now tracking the movements of a Sierra Nevada red fox — an endangered species — for the very first time after a decade of tracking efforts.
What we know: The fox was captured in January near Mammoth Lakes, according to the department’s announcement. Officials fitted the animal with a GPS-tracking collar before releasing it.
Why it matters: The Sierra Nevada red foxes are protected by the state as an endangered species. The tracking device will allow scientists to better understand the movements and needs of the red fox. This specific kind of red fox can only be found in parts of California and Oregon but is extremely rare and elusive, according to scientists.
How did the foxes become endangered? The reasons are mostly unknown, but it’s likely that unregulated hunting and trapping played a big role.
A decade-long effort: “This represents the culmination of 10 years of remote camera and scat surveys to determine the range of the fox in the southern Sierra, and three years of intensive trapping efforts,” CDFW Environmental Scientist Julia Lawson said in a statement. “Our goal is to use what we learn from this collared animal to work toward recovering the population in the long term.”
If you think you’ve spotted one … report it here.
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