$15,322 of vaccine is headed into the field to protect island foxes!
Donors like you made this possible!
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| courtesy M. Navarro, NPS |
Why do island foxes need to be vaccinated annually?
Canine distemper virus (CDV) caused a catastrophic decline of Santa Catalina Island foxes 26 years ago. Evolving in isolation on their islands, island foxes haven't developed immunity to typical canine diseases. To protect populations, each year at least 100 island foxes are vaccinated on each island against this deadly dog disease and rabies. On Catalina the goal is to vaccinate 350 island foxes, because the threat of introduced disease is so much higher for this population.
Island foxes are so susceptible to CDV that they can not tolerate the vaccine commonly given to dogs. They must be vaccinated with a special dead-virus vaccine that is produced in small batches and only provides protection for less than a year.
That means island foxes need to be vaccinated annually and the effort is one of the more expensive measures taken to protect their health each year.
- Island Fox Ambassador Schools & Projects
- Local organizations
- Recycling 4 Island Foxes & the Planet
- USU Recycles 4 Island Foxes
- 2024 FIF Island Trip participants
- Private donors
- a grant from the Fresno Chaffee Zoo Wildlife Conservation Fund
