Where Can You See An Island Fox on The Mainland?

In 2017, there are less than a handful of island foxes in captivity. Since 2008 and the end of captive breeding to help recover island fox populations, the goal has been to keep island foxes in the wild.

In 2017, the only island foxes in captivity are individuals that can not be returned to the wild. Most were found as pups abandoned by their parents on San Clemente Island. Drought over the past few years has challenged island fox survival and Navy personnel on San Clemente Island have found six pups that could not be reunited with a parent and were too young to survive on their own.

Beau, formerly at the Santa Barbara Zoo, is currently at The Living Desert in Palm Springs. 

Male island foxes can be aggressively territorial which makes it difficult to have multiple males at the same location. The island-fox home at the Santa Barbara Zoo is now filled with two rambunctious brothers, Lewis and Clark. This playful duo are younger and have grown-up together. Check out their video

gray fox on the left and two island foxes to the right

Two female island foxes can be seen at the CA Living Museum in Bakersfield. They are living with a female gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). The gray fox is the ancestor species to the island fox and this match-up allows you to see how much smaller the island fox is in comparison to its ancestor. Many visitors mistake the island foxes for babies of their cousin.

island foxes have relatively short tails

gray foxes have much longer tails

Island foxes (above) have relatively short tails for their size. The gray fox (right) has a much longer tail than the island fox. What advantage is there to having a shorter tail on the islands? Is the genetic trait for a shorter tail linked to some other beneficial trait? The answer is still out there waiting to be discovered.

If you can't travel to the Channel Islands, you can still see an island fox in a few special places.