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.

Channel Island Fox Awareness Day at Santa Barbara Zoo

Take your valentine to see a Channel Island fox!

February 14, 2016

11 AM - 3 PM

Come Celebrate

Channel Island Fox Awareness Day

at the Santa Barbara Zoo

Friends of the Island Fox will have two booth locations during the Santa Barbara Zoo's celebration.

COME EXPERIENCE

• Challenge yourself to put the island fox's ecosystem in balance
• Compare a Channel Island fox to an African fennec
• Participate in our Discovering Science activity to answer a question regarding the human sense of smell 
• Create in fox-themed crafts
• Discover information about the island fox's home in Channel Islands National Park  
• Support Channel Island fox conservation: Friends of the Island Fox T-shirts & pins will be available for purchase

Channel Island fox at Santa Barbara Zoo

 SEE LIVE FOXES (the following events are planned for the day)

• 11:30 AM - Keeper Talk at Fennec Exhibit
• 12:30 PM - Meet "Beau" the Channel Island Fox on Amphitheater Stage
• 1:30  PM - Training Session at Channel Island Fox Exhibit
• 2:00 PM - Enrichment for the Island Fox, at Exhibit
• 2:30 PM - Keeper Talk at Channel Island Fox Exhibit

Fennecs at Santa Barbara Zoo

Make it a sweet day with the Channel Island fox.

All activities and programs are included with regular admission.

What Do Island-Fox Biologists Do?

Each autumn, field biologists work hard and long hours checking the status of Channel Island foxes. What do island-fox biologists do during the course of an autumn day?

Here are excerpts from some personal accounts from Santa Barbara Zoo Animal Care staff who elected to spend a week providing 64 volunteer hours assisting National Park Service biologists in Channel Islands National Park.

Scott Daugherty (on San Miguel Island):
Our job was to place radio tracking collars on some foxes and collect biological data, so the Park Service could get an accurate count of how many foxes were on the island, and could make observations about how well the whole population was surviving. This is all accomplished by dedicated individuals, trained to trap and handle the endangered foxes safely...

capture cage hidden under a shrub

One thing that I didn’t realize before actually getting out to the island was just how much work it is to participate in these kinds of studies. Just getting to the traps was almost half an hour of hard hiking, and the traps themselves were set 250 meters apart, making each day a minimum of 5 miles of tough terrain, nearly all of it off trail. Each morning, we would get up before sunrise, and hike out to our trapping grid by first light. Each of our 18 traps needed to be checked and reset, and most foxes that were caught needed to get a full work up...

The conditions on San Miguel can be harsh, with regular winds gusting at 30 mph, and the temperature fluctuating from a warm 75˚F during the day to close to freezing over night. Like the California condor, the Channel Island fox recovery is one of the great successes of conservation study and education, and I am extremely proud to be able to participate.

photo courtesy of NPS

Damian Lechner (on Santa Rosa Island):
In September, I went out to Santa Rosa Island to meet up with Angela from the National Park Service.  We set up 3 grids of traps, each consisting of 12 traps. ....  I was shown how to handle the Foxes and [spotted] Skunks that we trapped, check for parasites, record broken teeth, vaccinate the foxes, micro chip, collect blood and urine samples, collect weights, and take whisker samples. 

island fox having teeth checked; photo courtesy of CIC

(To minimize stress to these wild animals, the goal is to complete all data collection and health maintenance tasks in 12 minutes or less.)

After arriving back at the cabin around noon, we processed the blood and urine that we collected and restocked our kits for the following day.  We continued this for the rest of the week then we collected the traps and hiked out with them on our backpacks.  I learned a lot that week, helped to save Island Species and hiked countless miles.  I’m very appreciative for the opportunity given to me to contribute to this project and hope to go out to the Island again next year.

A huge Thank You to the island-fox Field Biologists for all they do on behalf of Channel Island foxes. Vaccinating island foxes against canine distemper and rabies is vital to their future survival. You can help this effort. FIF is trying to raise funds to protect 500 island foxes.

Our thanks also to the Santa Barbara Zoo and their Animal Care staff who care for Channel Island foxes on the mainland and put in countless volunteer hours to assist the National Park. Thank you also to the Santa Barbara Zoo for sharing the personal accounts of their staff.
 

Come to the Fox Festival

Where can you see island foxes and learn more about them without taking a trip to the Channel Islands?

At the...

Santa Barbara Zoo

Fox Festival

Sunday, Feb. 16th 2014

11 AM - 3 PM

Friends of the Island Fox invites you to join us in celebrating FOXES !

There will be activities, crafts, Keeper Talks, and an opportunity to see Channel Island foxes and compare them with the Zoo's new African fennec foxes. 

What do these two species of tiny foxes have in common? Which has the bigger ears? Which eats insects?

The Santa Barbara Zoo is also home to several bald eagles. 

Come out and join the Fox Fun. Friends of the Island Fox will have a booth with current island fox information and fox related activities.

Zoos Helping Island Foxes

wild island fox wearing radio collar funded by Fresno Chaffee Zoo

Zoos of the 21st century are active partners in conservation. Friends of the Island Fox salutes our Zoo friends.

The Fresno Chaffee Zoo has awarded a conservation grant to Friends of the Island Fox for 5 years in a row. They have sponsored 20 radio collars to monitor island foxes in the wild! These radio collars are vital to maintaining a healthy wild population and demonstrate the role modern zoos play in supporting conservation efforts to preserve and restore healthy wild ecosystems. Thank you to the keepers and staff of Fresno Chaffee Zoo for being true island fox friends. Visit the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

The Santa Barbara Zoo is home to four island foxes, three San Clemente island foxes born in captivity and a Santa Rosa island fox with a chronic health condition. The keepers and staff of the Santa Barbara Zoo wrote the book on keeping captive island foxes healthy and on successfully breeding them. When island foxes became endangered in the wild (the crisis years - northern islands, Catalina Island), the knowledge gathered at the Santa Barbara Zoo helped to establish successful captive breeding programs on four islands. Zoo veterinarians have also provided vital healthcare to wild island foxes. The Santa Barbara Zoo is home to Finnigan, the education island fox, helping to bring the story of this endangered species to thousands of local people every year. Thank you to the keepers and staff of the Santa Barbara Zoo for being true island fox friends. Visit the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Size of golden eagle presented at AZAD Conference

The docents of the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens have made educating the local community about the endangered island fox a priority mission. This September they carried their education outreach back to Memphis, Tennessee to the national conference of the Association of Zoo and Aquarium Docents. The success of island fox recovery depends on active partnership between scientists, conservation organizations, government agencies and an educated local community. The Friends of the Island Fox grew out of the docent program at the Los Angeles Zoo and these dedicated volunteers continue to be some of our greatest supporters. (Annual Earth Day event) Thank you to the docents of the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens for being true island fox friends. Visit the Los Angeles Zoo.    Become a docent.

Fox Festival at Santa Barbara Zoo

The Santa Barbara Zoo Island Fox Festival

Sunday, October 5, 2008
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

The Santa Barbara Zoo and Roots 'n Shoots are sponsoring the Island Fox Festival this weekend. It is a great opportunity to learn about the various conservation efforts of Roots 'n Shoots youth groups and to meet a Channel Island fox.

Even though the island fox enclosure is closed for remodeling, Finnigan, an island fox born at the Zoo last year, will be making appearances at presentations during the day. MORE on Finnigan.

Friends of the Island Fox will be participating in the festivities during the day. Come by and visit us.

This is a wonderful family event with music, crafts and activities.

For more about the Santa Barbara Zoo and Directions

More about Roots 'n Shoots.

Channel Island Fox Talk Podcast

Happy July 4th!

Friends of the Island Fox is proud to announce our new

Channel Island Fox Talk - Podcast.

We hope to bring you interviews and updates with the people that are helping to save the endangered island fox.

Channel Island Fox Talk - Episode 1:

• Pat Meyer, President of FIF and the plans for Fox Talk
• Alan Varsik, Santa Barbara Zoo Director of Animal Programs and Conservation, with an island fox update

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN to
Channel Island Fox Talk