Conservation Working Dogs and Zoos Helping Wildlife

photo courtesy of TNC and WD4C

 

Meet “Moose” a hard-working canine with the nonprofit organization Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C).

Moose recently completed a tour of duty on Santa Cruz Island as part of a multi-organizational effort to find a better way to gather information on island spotted skunks.

Island spotted skunks only live on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands. As island foxes recovered on these islands, island spotted skunks seemed to have declined. There is concern for these rare little skunks and a lack of understanding about their relationship with island foxes. Do island foxes directly impact island spotted skunks? Do they compete for similar resources?

Friends of the Island Fox has supported several research investigations into this relationship:

• C. Gagorik and V Zhang: "Examining habitat use and movement patterns of island foxes and island spotted skunks on Santa Cruz Island”
• J. Schammel: Dietary overlap and change between island foxes and island spotted skunks on Santa Rosa Island
• J. Owen: Genetic relationships of spotted skunk subspecies
• D. Thomaier: Occupancy modeling of island spotted skunks on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands using field cameras 

In 2024, the question arose about western spotted skunks in captivity that might participate in research studies as a control for island spotted skunks. FIF’s Education Director, Keri Dearborn, did an internet search and found “Boo” a female western spotted skunk at the Sequoia Park Zoo. Boo and her two brothers had been orphaned when they were very young. Though they were rescued, they became imprinted on humans and couldn’t be returned to the wild. Boo was living at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka and her two brothers were at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park near Redding.

 

While Thomaier’s field cameras have documented island spotted skunks, to-date identifying individual skunks in images has been very difficult. Island spotted skunks push off radio collars and typically avoid capture.

Lara Brenner, Island Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, had been working with a conservation dog to sniff out invasive Argentine ant colonies on Santa Cruz Island. Could a conservation working dog locate island spotted skunk dens? Finding scat and dens would be less invasive than capturing skunks and might open up a whole new way to determine their numbers.

Moose gets suited up for work

 

Moose had experience tracking grizzly bears and locating their dens. Could he do the same job for tiny island spotted skunks? Protocol for a test was put in place. Because island foxes are susceptible to canine diseases and because island foxes can be a source of disease for dogs, Moose was up-to-date on all of his vaccinations.

The two zoos collected soiled bedding and feces from the three western spotted skunks. The fragrant material was sent to a WD4C training location in Montana, where Moose learned to identify spotted skunk scent. Would the western spotted skunk scent be close enough to the island spotted skunk scent for Moose to be successful?

 

Toward the end of 2024, Moose and his handler traveled to Santa Cruz Island. Moose “hit the ground running,” Brenner says. As a conservation working dog, he wears a special harness with bells and a GPS locator. Brenner explains that the GPS locator “is so that we can record his tracks and understand [his] search effort… i.e. how far does Moose have to go and how long does he have to sniff before he finds a skunk?”

On the first day, Moose signaled his handler that he’d found an island spotted skunk den. 

Working the hillsides with a canine nose, detection dogs are more efficient than people and have a higher success rate locating a target species. Over three weeks, Moose found several den sites, including this one with an island spotted skunk at home, and 12 scats.

Island spotted skunk in den (courtesy of TNC)

Can DNA from the scats identify individual island spotted skunks? Can genetic meta-barcoding of scat samples identify specific dietary items for island spotted skunks and island foxes? We’re just at the tip of learning how working dogs like Moose can contribute to island conservation?

courtesy of TNC and WD4C

 

This project is a multi-institutional collaboration between Sequoia Park Zoo, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, The Nature Conservancy, Working Dogs for Conservation, and Friends of the Island Fox. The biggest credit goes to the four-footed collaborators: the three western spotted skunks who are helping their wild counterparts and a very talented working dog named Moose.

Reaching a New Milestone - 440 Radio Collars

When does 1+1 = 440?

When an eight-year-old Island Fox Ambassador joins forces with a long-time island fox donor to fund FIF's 440th radio-tracking collar.

 

Rose was along for the ride when her sister Joy chose Channel Islands National Park as one of the parks she'd like to visit as part of the "Every Kid Outside" National Park pass for 4th graders. Visiting from her family home in North Carolina, little sister, Rose became an island fox fan. 

 

The sisters had sewn projects to raise funds for their trip, but rather than spend her earnings on herself, Rose determined to help island foxes.

LeAnn from Wisconsin has been supporting island foxes since 2020. Nearly every month, she sends what she can. Over the course of a year, her selfless efforts add up.

Together Rose and LeAnn have funded Friends of the Island Fox's 440th radio collar. Their collar will be refurbished this spring and fitted on an island fox during the summer/fall 2025 health checks.

$220 refurbishes an island fox radio collar to monitor their survival. More about collars

 

Protecting island foxes takes a community of concerned people. From students to adults, local Californians to people across the U.S. and around the world, island foxes are thriving in the wild because YOU CARE. 

You can become an Island Fox Ambassador, too!

Training Biologists to Be Investigators When an Island Fox Dies

Dr. Jessica Sanchez overviews Necropsy Workshop

In November 2024, Friends of the Island Fox sponsored the 3rd "Island Fox Necropsy Workshop" in collaboration with the Santa Barbara and San Diego Zoos. This workshop was held to train island managers and field biologists to investigate island fox mortalities and determine cause of death. In this blog post, wildlife veterinarian and FIF board member, Dr. Jessica Sanchez, describes how necropsies are preformed and why they are such an important part of island fox conservation.

Necropsy tool kit

In the field of wildlife biology, understanding the reason animals die is an important first step to conserving populations. We must know what the problem is before we can start to address it. Tracking causes of death (AKA "mortality") also helps us learn more about the biology of a species–for example, the common diseases they get, their average life expectancy, the survival rate of their young, etc. By performing necropsies regularly on animals that die, we can: 1) learn what a normal, baseline mortality rate is and the common causes of death, and 2) more quickly detect if something abnormal is happening, such as the canine distemper outbreak on Santa Catalina Island.

The determination of cause of death is the expertise of pathologists, who dissect carcasses in what are called "necropsies" (the equivalent of a human autopsy). Epidemiologists study the patterns of disease in populations and help determine if a given mortality is expected for a population, or if something new/abnormal is happening, such as a newly introduced disease or an epidemic (higher than normal rates of disease).

 

Island fox with radio-tracking collar

On the Channel Islands, managers place radio-collars on a subset of the fox populations every year. These collars allow biologists to track animals and learn about their biology and behavior, but also to detect when they have died. The collars allow us to detect these deaths and retrieve the carcasses quickly, often from places where they would otherwise be hard to find (like deep in the woods, buried under vegetation, or even in a golden eagle nest!) Because we can retrieve these carcasses quickly, they are less likely to be degraded by the environment, giving pathologists the best chance to determine the cause of death.

Once in the pathology lab, scientists will look at the entire carcass for signs of the cause of death. They are true detectives, looking for signs of injury from being struck by a car, talon marks from a golden eagle, or pneumonia from infection. After examining the carcass visually (a "gross necropsy"), they collect tissues for microscopic examination. These tissues are stored in special chemicals that preserve the structure of the cells, so the pathologist can look at them under the microscope. This is how we identify bacterial or viral infections, abnormal protein buildup, cancers, and more. (Cancer in island foxes). They also collect swabs and blood samples to test for antibodies against disease ("serology"), use genetic material to identify pathogens like viruses and bacteria ("polymerase chain reaction" or PCR), or test for toxicants like rodenticides. For unusual or complicated cases, several experts may get involved, including virologists, immunologists, toxicologists, and epidemiologists.

Sometimes, sending a carcass off-island to a pathologist is not practical. In these cases, it is important that island biologists can perform "field necropsies" on the island. They can perform the gross necropsy and collect key samples to send off-island to the pathologist and laboratory for further investigation. These may not be as detailed as a necropsy from a pathologist, but they allow us to gather important information on cause of death and save tissues that could be important for future research.

Dr Leslie Woods leads the workshop

 

In November, twenty island biologists and researchers gathered at the Santa Barbara Zoo for training in performing necropsies. Drs. Leslie Woods (UC Davis) and Patty Gaffney (San Diego Zoo) are board certified veterinary pathologists who have worked with island foxes for decades. They led teams through performing full necropsies and collecting important tissues for further examination in the laboratory. We discussed common cause of death in island foxes and the signs to look for on gross necropsy. 

Accurately identifying sample slides

Participants also learned about sample storage and human safety when it comes to handling blood, tissues, and chemicals. FIF and the Island Fox Conservation Working Group plan to continue workshops like this periodically to train new staff and refresh the skills of field staff who are so important for the daily monitoring of these fox populations. They are our eyes and ears out on the island, looking for any new or emerging threats to the populations.

PPE is necessary to when working with animals that have died

Trainings like this highlight how important long-term monitoring and surveillance is for wildlife conservation, especially for a species such as the island fox which evolved isolated on an island and is under constant risk from introduced disease and invasive species. Radio-collaring foxes is critical for us to detect mortalities ASAP so we can retrieve the carcass as quickly as possible before signs of the cause of death start to degrade. It also helps us gather baseline information on survival rates of different age classes and sexes. Performing regular necropsies, even in the absence of an outbreak or other crisis, allows us to collect an invaluable archive of health and disease information about this species. Island fox researchers have built a database from hundreds of island fox necropsies going back 25+ years, which current and future researchers can use for studies on genetics, disease, reproduction, diet, and more. (Island Fox Research)

Thank you for supporting island fox research. Your support enables FIF to host workshops like this to train future generations of biologists to protect the island fox. - Dr. Jessica Sanchez

See Dr. Jessica Sanchez in action performing an island fox health check. 

A huge thank you to all those who helped facilitate this workshop:

Santa Barbara Zoo, San Diego Zoo, UC Davis and the CA Animal Health and Food Safety Lab

Date with a Fox - "Lewis" of the Santa Barbara Zoo

 

Meet Lewis at the Santa Barbara Zoo! 

In September, FIF and Santa Barbara Zoo Animal Care Staff did a live talk via ZooLife with a video camera watching Lewis in his habitat.

If you missed this daytime event, you an still see Lewis in action.

How do zoos care for these tiny predators? How do they encourage natural behaviors?

Watch FIF & 

Animal Care Staff from the Santa Barbara Zoo for

"Date with a Fox"

"Date with a Fox" is FIF's quarterly FREE virtual program (Past "Date with a Fox" programs).

You'll hear directly from the folks that care for Lewis and you'll be able to see him active in his habitat.

 

 Remember this Island Fox Face?

"Sylvie," the San Nicolas Island fox was injured and required special orthopedic surgery nearly a year ago. In June, she found a permanent home at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Springs. Watch the video of her introduction to Beau, a senior citizen island fox from San Clemente Island. Sylvie is spayed and they are a companion pair.

Your donations made her recovery possible.

FIF 2024 Research Grant Investigating Link Between Island Fox Genetics and Health

Meet Kimberly Schoenberger, recipient of FIF’s 2024 Island Fox Research Grant and a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California (USC) Dornsife College of Marine and Environmental Biology.

Schoenberger is initiating the first investigation of island fox genetics using transcriptomics. This leading-edge research uses RNA (the copier of DNA) to look at a species’ genetic material and evaluate it for protein production and vital cell functions. Transcriptomics provides insight into how genes turn on or off in cells and how this may influence health or disease.

 

The project will analyze three important aspects of island fox genetic expression: 1) what are the genetic differences between the six island fox subspecies; 2) how do different environmental conditions and demographics impact gene expression; and 3) will identify genes that are being influenced by disease or parasite exposure.

(As Catalina Island foxes were recovering from a severe population low, they experienced high levels of cancer due to an extreme immune system response to ear mites. This condition does not occur on other islands. Dr. A. DeCandia’s microbiome investigation identified a connection with specific bacteria (elaborated on by Jasmine Lu paper). Husbandry efforts currently control the ear mites, but the epigenetic link between the inflammation and eventual cancer remains unknown.)

Disease and parasites pose some of the greatest current threats to island fox survival. This project could provide valuable insight into which island fox subspecies have the greatest genetic vulnerabilities and help inform conservation measures.

Another important element of Schoenberger’s project is that it integrates directly into the current protocols for health checks. Biologists are currently in the field across the Channel Islands counting island foxes, providing health checks, and administering vaccinations. As part of the 2024 health checks, some individual island foxes will provide a blood sample for transcriptomics. Schoenberger’s genetic study will compliment and build on the individual island fox data currently being collected on diet, microbiome, territory, and health.

Schoenberger was able to travel out to Santa Rosa Island and engage with the National Park biologists as they took samples. She also met individual island foxes that will be part of her investigation.

At USC, Schoenberger explains that she puts the blood samples through a centrifuge “to separate RNA from other particles.”

The samples then go through a chemical processing to isolate and purify the RNA for sequencing.

Schoenberger says: “Transcriptomics can allow insights into gene expression patterns that underlie population health and disease by providing molecular-level understanding of island fox physiology and how they function and respond to differing environmental conditions.” Friends of the Island Fox is thrilled to support Kimberly Schoenberger’s research which will provide a baseline on the differences between populations and “shed light on key genes that are affected by environmental differences and may be crucial for adaptation and survival of the island fox.”

Your donations make this research possible.

photo courtesy of P Bronstein

 

Island Foxes Teaching the Next Generation of Field Biologists

For the past two years, Friends of the Island Fox has had the honor of funding all of the new and refurbished fox tracking collars for Santa Cruz Island–but this summer, these collars were able to support more than just island fox monitoring and research.

 

As part of Paso Robles High School's Field Studies Collaborative program, a group of 25 students ranging in age from 15–18 spent a week on Santa Cruz Island, learning about its history and ecosystems. The program includes student presentations, expert workshops on a variety of topics, and field experience, like vegetation sampling and plant identification.

 

This past year, FIF board member Justin Purnell expanded the program to include trapping and working with island foxes, giving students an opportunity for hands-on experience working with the island's (very adorable) apex predator.

Justin isn't new to Paso High's program. Taking the class, during his junior year at Paso High, inspired his own path forward in wildlife biology. Since then, he has been a volunteer and chaperone on the trip, which is now in its 34th year.

 

The students (and other chaperones) were blown away by the experience of working with the island foxes. For many of the students, it was their first time seeing wildlife up close–and the impact cannot be overstated. Some were moved to tears and many of them expressed an interest in continuing their education in not only wildlife biology, but a host of other careers that support conservation.

Here are some of their reactions, in their own words:

• "Working with those foxes was such an amazing experience and changed my life. I thought I had my future figured out, but seeing what Justin does on the island threw a wrench in my plans. Now I think I want to go to college and study forestry. I would never have looked into or even thought about this as my career path if I didn't go on this trip." - Hannah, 16
• "It was hard to believe that doing something so special as a career could be more than a dream, but after getting to experience working with the foxes firsthand, I now know that doing work like this could be my reality." - Jordan, 17
• "It was incredible to see the foxes close up and to be a small part of helping to preserve this endemic species. This is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do, and it really drove home for me the importance of preserving nature. I get emotional thinking about it! I am forever grateful for this experience." - Ava, 15
• "When I was younger, I was absolutely obsessed with animals and was set on working with them as an adult. As I grew up, I lost faith that I would be able to have a stable career working with wildlife. Watching Justin work was super emotional because I felt that love and interest in wildlife return. This trip totally changed my plans for my future–I am now planning to go into wildlife conservation." - Divy, 17
  

 

These experiences, and the impacts that can ripple out from them, are the reason that we do this work. We are happy that our funding of the collars was able to help support this experience for Paso High's field studies program and are excited to find other ways to support both the island foxes and the next generation of wildlife conservationists. Article by Justin Purnell 

Island Fox F257 is Back and Beautiful at Middle Age

 

F257 August 2024

Channel Island National Park biologists are on Santa Rosa Island this week capturing island foxes, counting them, checking their health, and updating radio-tracking collars. Biologist Juliann Schamel contacted FIF with great news: Female island fox 257 was captured for the 5th year in a row and she's looking great! Here's Juliann's update:

F257 was born in 2019, and has spent her entire life in her natal area, which overlooks the East Point estuary [as] Santa Cruz Island floats on the horizon.  Every year since 2019, she has gone into traps at our long-term monitoring site at Old Ranch.  She has spent a total of 18 nights in our "island hotel."  Every year, she moves between Trap 1, Trap 11, and Trap 12, which are in a triangle 200 meters apart from each other.

F257 is five years old now, and remains in great health.  She has been monitored with VHF collars throughout her life, and is currently wearing her third collar.  She has Age Class 2 tooth wear.  As an adult, she has fluctuated in weight between 1.8–2.2 kilograms (4–4.9 pounds). 

 

island fox whisker sample

This year, during her health check ... she also contributed samples to microbiome, leptospirosis, and stable isotope research (gut swab, urine, and whiskers).

 

In 2023, she had signs of nursing pups for the first time.  This year she does not show signs of having had pups.  (As pictured, her belly is white.) Data from our long-term monitoring sites has allowed us to document fox recovery to carrying capacity, which was reached in 2020. (What is carrying capacity?) 

 

Since then, the population has displayed density-dependent reproductive suppression (which I think is SO COOL!!!!) - very few pups were weaned in 2021, 2022, and 2023, adult survival remained high, and the total population has remained around 2,500.  Collecting long-term data during this time period has allowed us to document which adult females reproduce and which do not in this high-density landscape (how old are they? what habitat do they live in? how dense are the foxes in their local area?), which will provide further insight into what environmental factors influence fox biology, and how fox ecology in turn influences the landscape.  Old Ranch, where F257 lives, has a high density of adult foxes with high survival, and this area has not produced many pups in the past several years.  With the VHF collar, we will be able to monitor F257's health and status for years to come!

It's been so lovely to see F257 again! - Juliann Schamel

Schamel is not only a fox biologist out on the northern Channel Islands, she's also researching the complex interactions between island foxes and the landscape on Santa Rosa Island. 

 

"Date with a Fox" with Juliann Schamel

More on island fox density

Your Donations funded F257's radio collar and 

vaccinations for rabies and distemper!

FIF 2024 Trip To Santa Cruz Island

What do these smiling people have in common?

 

They joined Friends of the Island Fox on a trip to Santa Cruz Island

Join in the Fun and Experience Island Foxes in the Wild

 

Saturday, September 14, 2024

We'll check-in at Ventura Harbor at 8 am 

and return around 5 pm

The $78 registration fee includes: boat fare, FIF naturalist guides on the island, and a donation to support island fox conservation. 

Trip is Sold Out

 It's a full day of exploring Santa Cruz Island and each trip has unique experiences.

an island fox follows a raven

watching an island fox

 

 

The endemic island scrub jay is now easily seen in the Scorpion Landing area where we are headed. Late summer is also a great time to see marine mammals.

Reservations are taken on a first come basis. For more info follow the button...

Trip is Sold Out

 See island foxes, experience the Channel Islands, and support important conservation.

Fox Foto Friday - Island Foxes Being Counted

 

What's the word from the northern Channel Islands?

NPS biologist Juliann Schamel says the "season is going well so far, we just caught our 100th fox of the season yesterday!"

If you look closely, you can see the dark squared-off battery end of a radio collar beneath the chin of the captured island fox.

Friends of the Island Fox funded its 417th radio-tracking collar last month. New radio collars arrived for deployment on three islands!

Your donations provide radio collars to monitor island fox survival. Help Island Foxes

More about how biologists capture island foxes for health checks 

Radio Collars Arrive for Summer Health Checks!

You Did It!

 

These refurbished radio collars are being prepared for deployment during island fox health checks on San Miguel Island in the next few weeks.

The Channel Islands National Park fox biologists tie bright pink ribbons on radio collars and mark the ribbon with the collar's ID number and radio frequency. Pink makes it easy to find the collar in a dark backpack. The ribbon can quickly be removed and the information on it entered into field notes, after the island fox has been released.

 

Having the info on the ribbon helps the biologist minimize the time they spend physically in contact with the island fox.

 

Island foxes do not have to be tranquilized during health checks. Special muzzles that cover their eyes help to keep them calm. However, it is a priority that wild island foxes are handled only when necessary and for the shortest amount of time possible.

 

Donors like you funded:

• 26 refurbished radio collars 
• 20 new radio collars
• and $1,036 in rabies vaccine (to vaccinate 650 island foxes)
  

that arrived this month for deployment across San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz Islands. Rabies vaccinations will also protect Santa Catalina Island foxes.

Radio collars monitor island fox survival

More about island fox health checks