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

Fox Foto Friday - Island Foxes as Seed Dispersers

What do these year-old toyon plants have in common?

They were grown from seeds found in island fox scat. 

FIF talks about island foxes eating native plant fruits and spreading the seeds across the islands, but now there is scientific evidence that this seed dispersal can help island plants.

Researchers Savannah Bartel and John Orrock from the Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, were investigating the role social status plays in vertebrate dispersal of seeds. They collected island fox scat with toyon seeds and attempted to grow the seeds. And they grew!

 

While passing through the digestive system of an island fox didn't necessarily improve germination, being in carnivore scat provides seeds with protection. Rodents, like island deer mice, tend to avoid carnivore predators and their poop. 

 

Island fox's eating toyon berries are providing the toyon's seeds with a protective compost pile to grow in. 

toyon berries

Fox Foto Friday - Keeping Vaccines Cool

How are colorful cooler bags and ice packs helping island foxes?

 

Biologists at Channel Islands National Park will soon be heading out into the field to count island foxes and provide health checks. Part of that effort includes vaccinating island foxes and taking blood samples.

 

 

Vaccines need to be kept cool going out into the field and biological samples need to be kept cool coming back.

To maintain biosecurity for each island and reduce the opportunity for insects, viruses, parasites, or plant seeds to hitch a ride and move from one island to another, FIF has supplied the biologists with two cooler sets per island. Cooler packs dedicated to use on a specific island will help keep island foxes safe.

 

$1,036 of rabies vaccine is on its way to four islands for 650 island foxes. 

Your donations help protect island foxes.

Help FIF raise the additional $7,000 to pay for this year's canine distemper vaccine.

Island Fox Status Update 2024

In 2023, island fox populations remained healthy and stable across all six islands. Weather extremes, however, effected islands in different ways.

Island fox on San Clemente Island courtesy of J. Sanchez

The following is an update across the Channel Islands from notes compiled by Friends of the Island Fox at the Island Fox Conservation Working Group Meeting May 8, 2024 hosted at the Santa Barbara Zoo (hybrid meeting).

Reported population numbers are the official estimates submitted by the land managers and calculated by them from island foxes captured for health checks July–December 2023. (How island foxes are captured and given health checks)

Overview: Rainfall was abundant in 2023, but the impact on plant and prey species varied by island. Island fox populations on smaller islands grew, while island fox numbers on larger islands adjusted downward slightly. The anomaly was Santa Cruz Island, which appears to have experienced a significant population increase, creating a historic record for a single island population.

Range Size and Diet Research: Ongoing research by FIF Research Grant recipient Katie Elder revealed that fox home ranges on Santa Rosa Island have declined in size by 83% since 2009. It's not surprising that home range territories have gotten smaller as the fox population has recovered from less than 400 individuals to over 2,500. The surprise is how strictly the 15 male foxes monitored for a year with GPS collars stayed confined within their small territories. This means that individuals in poor habitats have less access to varied resources; inland foxes aren't accessing beach foods and individuals with grassland home ranges may have less access to fruiting plants. How will individual survival be challenged if drought conditions return?

Density: On the northern islands, island fox density has become high: 11.35–14 island foxes per square kilometer. What is island fox density? While it's great to see increased populations of island foxes, high density means individual fox territories are close together. Disease can be transmitted more easily through a dense population. As the Range Size research reveals, high population density may also mean island foxes have less flexibility to survive fluctuations in their available resources.  

Climate Impacts: For the first time, islands documented increased rainfall that did not coincide with island fox population growth. The timing of storms or extreme high levels of rain may have negatively impacted deer mouse or insect populations resulting in fewer resources for island foxes.    

In 2024, the leading threats to island foxes are:

• biosecurity: the threat of introduced viruses, accidental transportation of a deadly parasitic worm from San Miguel Island to other islands, disease, and/or non-native animals
• reduced funding for monitoring
• climate change: extreme weather effects food resources, heightens parasites, challenges health, and can make it more difficult for biologists to access the islands
  

Greatest Concern: Biosecurity threats are heightened by the high density of island foxes on northern islands and rising tourism on Catalina Island. Canine distemper and other dog diseases remain threats. A new investigation has identified the parasitic spiny-headed worm on San Miguel Island that has caused fox fatalities in the past, especially in drought years. The investigation to find the prey species that acts as an intermediary host continues. New findings reveal that this lethal intestinal parasite was most likely transported to the island by humans. It is vitally important that this parasite not be moved to other islands.

Be a BioSecurity Guardian–Clean, Check, and Close everything you take to the islands. Watch Biosecurity Video.

Smaller Islands

San Miguel and San Nicolas Islands appear to have equally benefited from additional moisture and available resources. Their populations grew at the same rate in 2023. San Clemente Island remained stable at its lower population size.

San Miguel Island (lime green line): While adult annual survival declined, healthy pups stabilized and increased the population. This island currently has the greatest island fox density: 14 foxes per square kilometer.

San Nicolas Island (pink line): General health remains good, but lifespan appears to be 7–8 years, rather than the 10–12 years on larger islands. Density remains moderate at 8.4 foxes per sq km. Dog flu has declined, but remains prevalent. Car strike causes the greatest island fox mortality and more days of foggy weather increased fox fatalities.

San Clemente Island (blue line): Adult island foxes on this island had a high 89% chance of surviving the year, but pup survival continues to be investigated. This island currently has the lowest fox density: 4.06 foxes per sq km. Approximately 5% of the population is lost annually to car strike and inexperienced young island foxes are more likely to be hit.

 

Larger Islands

The larger islands were all thought to have reached carrying capacity. Santa Catalina and Santa Rosa Islands adjusted downward at nearly the same small rate in this extremely wet year. Because their populations are so large, this adjustment is not unexpected. Santa Cruz Island, however, increased at the same high rate as the small islands, creating a historic population estimate.

Santa Catalina Island (red line): The population remained stable with a density of 9.22 foxes per sq km. Analysis of tick samples collected from island foxes from 2019–2022 showed no tick-borne disease. This is important because 60% of Catalina Island foxes carry ticks. Both dog flu and corona virus declined in 2023, but biosecurity remains a huge concern on this island. From car strike and dog attack to foxes being drown in scuba wash tanks and entrapped in human structures, humans and pets currently pose the greatest threat to island foxes. In 2023, over 62% of known fox fatalities were human caused.

Santa Rosa Island (pink line with black centers): This population remains stable with a high density of 11.35 foxes per sq km and adults had an 89.5% chance of surviving the year. Research is showing that Rosa foxes are becoming dietary specialists. How will this impact individual foxes and the island ecosystem?

Santa Cruz Island (black line): With an adult annual survival rate of 94.7%, this island was estimated to have a historic population size of 4,057. The fox density is currently 12.9 foxes per sq km. Due to a record 35 inches of rain, foxes could not be counted in some of the traditional grid locations. There is a possibility that the high population calculation may be slightly inflated by data fluctuations.

Weather has a profound effect on island resources. Changing weather patterns–tropical summer storms, extreme winter rainfall, increased summer heat, denser fog–all impact island habitats and island foxes. 

Your donations help monitor island fox survival with radio collars and provide vaccinations to protect them from introduced disease. Research is investigating health, behavior, and how best to support stable island fox populations in a changing world.

Healthy island fox populations depend on people like you supporting conservation efforts. 

 

What is Island Fox Density?

 

Density is a term used in biology to express the number of individual living things in a given area. Biologists use a defined area size–ie. a square meter, square kilometer or square hectare–to quantify density. 

A square kilometer is equivalent to the footprint of Disneyland in southern California and a square hectare is equivalent to a professional baseball field.

Understanding how many island foxes are living in a square kilometer is part of the calculation for estimating the size of an island-wide population.

At the recent Island Fox Conservation Working Group Meeting, land managers reported on the island fox density for their islands. There was a noticeable difference between northern and southern islands.

Northern islands are reporting considerably higher island fox density. The causes for this are not completely clear. Northern islands may benefit from less extreme weather–higher average rainfall and more moderate summer temperatures–which support diverse prey and plant food for island foxes. Northern islands also have fewer impacts from humans; Catalina Island and the two Navy islands, San Clemente and San Miguel, have roads and cars that cause the highest percentage of fatalities for island foxes. 

High density, however, can have a downside. Catalina Island has been stable for the past 10 years with a density around 9 foxes per sq km. The island with the highest density in 2023–14 foxes per sq km–was also the smallest, San Miguel Island. When density increases, individual island fox territory decreases. A smaller territory means a smaller area to find food. High density can push some individuals into habitats with fewer quality resources. San Miguel's resources are less diverse than the larger islands and there are fewer options for foxes when drought or other weather extremes occur.

 

When island foxes are living closer to each other, the possibility of disease moving rapidly through a population also becomes heightened. Parasites can spread more easily.

Understanding population density is important for calculating risks to populations and making informed conservation decisions. 

Date With A Fox - Island Fox Research with Juliann Schamel and Dr. Alexandria DeCandia

Friends of the Island Fox's Virtual Program on current island fox research.

"Date With A Fox"

with guests Juliann Schamel and Dr. Alexandra DeCandia

from Tuesday, April 30th

The April program highlighted current findings on island fox diet and microbiome. Microbiome investigations can help us understand how island foxes and island spotted skunks are using resources in the island ecosystem. Dietary investigations analyzing stable isotopes in whisker samples are revealing changes in island fox diet as their population size recovers and potential resource competition with island spotted skunks. 

Both research presenters are past recipients of Friends of the Island Fox Research Grants.

 

 

 

Dr. Alexandra DeCandia is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Biology Dept. at Georgetown University and works with the Center for Conservation Genomics at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Her work has been published in Molecular Ecology and she is currently working on a joint project with Juliann Schamel supported by Friends of the Island Fox.

 

Juliann Schamel is a Biological Science Technician working with island foxes at Channel Islands National Park and a graduate student in ecology and conservation at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Her work has been published in PLOS ONE and she presented a poster on island fox and island spotted skunk dietary overlap at the California Island Symposium. 

Informed conservation decisions for island foxes and island spotted skunks depend on scientific knowledge.

Friends of the Island Fox is currently 

accepting applications for our 2024 FIF Research Grant.

Subscribe to the FIF bi-monthly e-newsletter for invitations to upcoming "Date with a Fox" presentations.

Are Grapes Toxic to Island Foxes and Gray Foxes?

Recently, this question was posed to Friends of the Island Fox by a wildlife sanctuary that cares for gray foxes. Because gray foxes are wide-spread and considered common, little scientific research has evaluated their daily behavior, including diet. Island foxes, however, have been through periods of captive breeding when they faced near-extinction and there is a growing library of research on their diet and health.

Since island foxes are recently descended from gray foxes, it stands to reason that the two species would have similar responses to toxins. We reached out to the veterinarian members of the Island Fox Working Group and discovered there is no authoritative answer.

Tartaric acid in grapes can be toxic to domestic dogs, damaging kidney function. Since island foxes and gray foxes are part of the canine family it's reasonable to extrapolate that grapes could be toxic to foxes as well. Inquiries to toxicologists and a range of references uncovered no reputable sources that confirmed or denied that grapes are toxic to foxes (or any wild canid). "In the absence of evidence," says wildlife veterinarian and FIF Board member Jessica Sanchez, "it seems reasonable to err on the side of assuming things toxic to dogs will be toxic to foxes." Therefore, grapes, cocoa, and coffee are all substances that should be kept away from gray foxes and island foxes.

island fox in a fig tree

 

Do wild gray foxes sometimes eat grapes? Yes, one scientific paper, from the last century, reported wild grapes were found in 9.5% of gray fox stomachs. What is unknown is the comparative level of tartaric acid between wild and domestic grapes and whether or not eating grapes impaired kidney function in the wild foxes.

 

Ironically, in classical Greek and Roman literature, foxes were depicted as raiding vineyards to eat grapes. In Aesop's fables, a fox's craving for sweet grapes turns to disdain when his goal becomes unreachable. Aesop's fox, however, is a red fox and not a close relative of the gray fox and the island fox.

gray fox in a Camarillo backyard

 

Still, there are anecdotes in Lyndal Laughrin's 1980 paper "Populations and Status of the Island Fox" that recount how the number of island foxes on Santa Cruz Island in 1918 was so great, they "were destroying the grapes in the vineyards." Whether or not the foxes fared well after consuming the grapes, is not reported.

toyon berries are eaten by island foxes

 

Gray foxes and island foxes are omnivorous. Native fruit can make up more than 50% of an island fox's diet. How do island foxes process toxins found in some of the fruit they eat? Answering these questions for island foxes would also help us understand gray foxes better, and maybe other canines, too.

Friends of the Island Fox supports island fox research

Applications for the FIF 2024 Research Grant 

will be accepted through June 30, 2024  

(Thank you to J. Sanchez DVM and J. Barnes DVM for their investigation of this question.)

Fox Foto Friday - Injured Island Fox Back on Her Feet

This young female island fox was discovered during capturing of island foxes for counting and health checks with a broken rear leg. Her story is one of multiple agencies, institutions, and a community of people working together to help her survive.

Friends of the Island Fox and donors like you helped raise the $1,900 to pay for her specialized orthopedic surgery. Following her orthopedic evaluation on March 15, Julie Barnes, V.P. of Animal Care and Health at the Santa Barbara Zoo, reported that "the fracture is healing really well and no longer needs bandaging." 

March 28th and she is standing solidly on all four legs!

All island foxes are under the jurisdiction of the California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW). Removing an individual from its island habitat is a major decision because once an island fox comes off of its island of origin, it can not be returned. Because island foxes evolved in isolation on the Channel Islands, they are very susceptible to diseases from the mainland. Canine distemper virus is lethal to them and nearly caused extinction on Catalina Island in 1998. Today, a minimum of 100 island foxes are vaccinated against distemper on each island annually. (Help FIF vaccinate foxes)

To protect the wild population, the injured female island fox can not return to San Nicholas Island. The CDFW has approved The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Springs as her new home. The Living Desert is an American Zoo Association accredited zoo and has cared for other island foxes in the past. She will be moving to her new home March 30th.

Currently, there are six (Update 5/23/24 - five) island foxes living in zoos on the mainland. The CDFW requires that each facility only have males or females, since no island foxes can be bred on the mainland for release on the islands.

If you can't travel to the Channel Islands, you can see island foxes at:

The Santa Barbara Zoo

Brothers, Lewis and Clark, were left abandoned pups after their mother was hit by a car on San Clemente Island. The Santa Barbara Zoo leads the zoo community's efforts toward island foxes and hosts the annual Island Fox Conservation Working Group Meeting. (Update: Clark passed away at 8 years old on May 17, 2024, Lewis remains healthy and on exhibit.)

California Living Museum, Bakersfield

Two sisters, from San Clemente Island, were abandoned by their parents as pups during a drought year. They were in an enclosure with a female gray fox. The only place where you can see these two species side-by-side. (Update: one sister passed away in 2023.)

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Is home to Sage, a female island fox from Catalina Island, who was separated from her parents by people as a pup, resulting in chronic health issues. She was unable to be released back into the wild and requires regular veterinary care. 

The little San Nicolas Island fox joins her five cousins as ambassadors for their wild relatives. They tell a story of how human actions can be detrimental or positive for island foxes.

The San Nicolas Island fox has a second chance because people like you came to her aid.

FIF Research Grant Application 2024

Friends of the Island Fox is currently taking applications 

through June 30 for the 

FIF 2024 Research Grant

Download Application

From the complex relationship between island foxes and island spotted skunks, to diet, microbiome impacts on health, and changing territory sizes, research projects are revealing the complexities of the Channel Island ecosystem and the role of island foxes in island ecology.

In 2024, Friends of the Island Fox is offering up to $7,000 in support to research projects benefiting greater understanding of the island fox and the Channel Island ecosystem.

 

Last year's grant recipients are using wildlife cameras to quantify island spotted skunk populations and investigating the impact of individual island fox behavior on the island ecosystem.

It's Science, for Fox Sake! And we encourage all applicants to apply.

 

2023 grant recipient, D. Thomaier

Past Research Grant Recipients and Projects

Grant Recipients are asked to provide public updates on their work - "Date with a Fox" programs, hear from the researchers

Published science on island foxes and island spotted skunks

 

 

Your Donations Help Fund this Important Science!

FIF 2023 Research Grant to Investigate Individual Island Fox Impact

FIF awarded a second Research Grant in 2023 to Juliann Schamel, NPS biologist and graduate student in Ecology and Conservation at University of Aberdeen, Scotland...

Juliann Schamel in the field with island fox

 

and Dr. Alexandria DeCandia, biology professor at Georgetown University...

Dr. Alexandria DeCandia

 

for their project: From Microbes to Habitats: How Individual Fox Foraging Behavior Cascades Through an Ecosystem.

Schamel and De Candia are combining their respective work in stable isotope diet analysis and microbiome research to investigate the specific interconnections between 15 male island foxes and the island ecosystem. The team says, "Recent research has revealed that the island fox displays a high level of individual specialization, from their diet, to activity patterns, to the germination rate of scat-dispersed native seeds." This work builds on stable isotope diet analysis that Schamel presented at the Channel Island Symposium that demonstrated that diet specialization is occurring on Santa Rosa Island. 

GPS radio collar deployed on Santa Rosa Island

The 15 island foxes to be studied were part of a territory range investigation monitoring island fox movement with GPS radio collars by FIF 2021 Research Grant recipient Katie Elder. The final collection of data occurred in December 2023 when the island foxes were recaptured and their GPS collars removed.

Combining specific daily movement data (over the course of a year) with stable isotope diet data from individual whisker samples and microbiome swabs of gut microfloral offers a unique window into the lives of these individual island foxes. 

Microbiome sample swabs

 

It's easy to assume that island foxes, as a species, have a specifically defined relationship with plants and animals in the island ecosystem. However, Schamel's island fox dietary data has revealed a great deal of individualism in dietary choice, especially when resources are abundant. Some island foxes are eating beach foods, some are fruit specialists, others prey predominantly on deer mice.

Island fox whisker sample being collected

 

This investigation will try to reveal "a more holistic understanding of island foxes," DeCandia says. "[H]ost-associated microbes are critical to ... digestion and immunity,... By linking gut microbial communities with individual diet, movement, and activity patterns, we can begin to untangle the eco-evolutionary factors shaping these island hosts, their microbes, and the ecosystem in which they live."

Comparing microbiome of island fox and island spotted skunk, A. DeCandia

 

Friends of the Island Fox is proud to invest in this cutting-edge, multidisciplinary scientific investigation that brings together academic and governmental organizations and investigators. Whisker samples will be processed and analyzed by Julianne Schamel and Seth Newsome at the Center for Stable Isotopes at the University of New Mexico. DNA from microbiome swabs will be extracted by Alexandria DeCandia at the Center for Conservation Genomics at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Undergraduate researchers at Georgetown University, University of New Mexico, and California State University Channel Islands will actively participate in sample collection, laboratory preparation, data analysis and interpretation, and co-authorship of findings. 

Your donations help grow scientific knowledge and the next generation of scientists! 

Applications for FIF's 2024 Research Grant 

will be available March 22