You Did It! You Gave An Island Fox a Second Chance!

Thank you to our donors - near and far!

Over the past three days, you've responded with overwhelming support and raised the funds to pay for special orthopedic surgery needed for this young injured island fox. Her story

 

 

Thank you to:

• FIF's long-time donors
• Our Instagram followers
• Our "X" followers especially our "Hijinkai" who love island foxes from afar in Japan

You all have helped to give this island fox a second chance on life.

Island Foxes Are Getting New Radio Collars

 

Six new radio collars funded by Friends of the Island Fox will arrive on Catalina Island next week!

Across the Channel Islands, island foxes are receiving annual health checks and new radio-tracking collars.

 

Watch the video below of M173. He is a four-year-old male on Santa Rosa Island and his radio collar was replaced last week during his health check.

He is not tranquilized. The green hood covers his eyes and keeps his mouth closed. This keeps him calm and enables biologists to quickly complete a health check, vaccinate the fox against canine distemper and rabies, and for some island foxes, deploy a new or refurbished radio collar.

This radio collar will send signals to biologists for the next 2–3 years. The signal will help locate M173 and the type of signal informs the biologist if he is moving around normally or if something might have happened to him. In the case of a mortality signal, biologists can follow the signal to find the island fox's body and determine what happened. If there is a threat to other island foxes, action can be taken quickly.

For the 2023 health check season Friends of the Island Fox has supplied:

• 5 new and 15 refurbished radio collars to Santa Cruz Island
• 24 refurbished radio collar to San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands
• 6 new radio collars to Catalina Island 

Radio collars offer the best way to monitor island fox survival 

in the wild. 

Your donations make it all possible.

Do You Remember This Fox? It's F257

 

Even with her face covered, F257 from Santa Rosa Island is a stunning island fox. Her coat is lustrous, her weight is good, she looks healthy. The mask/muzzle helps keep her calm during her health check.

You might remember F257 from 2021, 2020, and 2019. 

She received her first health check when she was a pup in July of 2019. In the winter of 2019, she was fitted with her first radio tracking collar.

F257 continues to live in the Old Ranch area on Santa Rosa Island. This is the same area where she was born and first seen.

 

In August, National Park biologists were happy to see F257 during island-wide counting of island foxes. Biologist Juliann Schamel says "[F257] has been captured every summer on the [Old Ranch] grid, and has never shown signs of having reproduced, although she is in good condition/health. She's still quite young and most foxes on Rosa did not reproduce in 2020 or 2021, so this isn't surprising." 

Low rainfall frequently correlates with fewer resources and female foxes tend to have fewer pups or no pups. Santa Rosa Island may also have reached maximum population size. F257 may not be able to find a mate or adequate territory to support having pups. Being single, may also be a choice. She looks great.

You can see from her data sheet that F257s health check and the replacement of her radio-collar took only 12 minutes.

After two and a half years, F257's radio collar needed a new battery. Her collar was replaced and the old collar will be refurbished so it can be used again. In the video below, you'll see F257 be released after her health check.

 

Did you notice F257 looked back at the biologist multiple times. Maybe she recognizes the biologist, too. 

With her radio-tracking collar F257 is helping to monitor island fox survival on Santa Rosa Island. 

Your donations to Friends of the Island Fox fund radio-tracking collars and important research across the Channel Islands.

Fox Foto Friday - Beginning of the Year Surprise!

What is it? 15 refurbished radio collars!

These radio-telemetry collars, still in their packaging, have just arrived for island foxes on Santa Cruz Island. They come packaged as pairs of collars set inside each other with their antennae wrapped around. 

The Fresno Chaffee Zoo Wildlife Conservation Fund provided FIF with a special year-end grant that funded these 15 refurbished radio collars and will fund serology testing for Catalina Island foxes this summer.

We are so thankful for our fox friends at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.  

The Fresno Chaffee Zoo has been an important partner in island fox conservation since 2006 - funding radio collars, vaccinations, and island fox health investigations.

The Santa Barbara Zoo and the Fresno Chaffee Zoo have long been champions of island fox conservation. They are the perfect example of how zoos can make a real conservation difference.

After these radio collars are prepped and banded with color-coding, they will be ready to be fitted on island foxes. 

You are an important partner in island fox conservation, too. Donors like you are matching the Fresno Chaffee Zoo's grant! 

This winter donors have funded 14 refurbished collars and 2 new collars.

FIF hopes to fund 20 more radio collars this season!

Radio collars are the number one way to monitor island fox health and survival in the wild. 

Your donations help FIF provide important radio collars for island foxes!

Radio Collars Going On Island Foxes!

photo courtesy of S. Baker, NPS

Meet M181! This young male island fox on Santa Rosa Island was fitted with a radio collar funded by YOU.

Channel Island National Park biologists have been fitting radio collars on individual foxes, conducting health checks, and counting island foxes throughout August.

These new and refurbished radio collars will provide information on island fox location and survival for the next 2–3 years.

Each radio collar has a signal at a specific individual frequency that is picked up by a radio receiver. The fox does not hear the collar's signal. 

Biologists can only hear the signal if they have a receiver tuned to the correct frequency and are within a specific proximity to the fox.

Radio collars are small and light weight so they do not bother the island fox. Each radio collar is fitted with a "two-finger fit" so that it is not too tight, yet not so loose that it might get caught on something.

Watch and Listen to the video below

WATCH as M181 is released back into the wild after his check-up and radio collar fitting.

LISTEN for the beeps from the receiver as the biologist checks the functioning of the radio collar.

 

Island Foxes on San Miguel Island will be getting their radio collars next.

Catalina Island foxes will be getting their radio collars and vaccinations soon. 

You can still help fund a refurbished radio collar $220 

for Catalina Island. 

Donate Today 

2021 Update For FIF Donors

Tuesday May 18, 2021 Friends of the Island Fox Board members participated in the annual Island Fox Conservation Working Group meeting (via a virtual space hosted by the Santa Barbara Zoo).

We thought we'd try something new and share the FIF Update with you so you could see exactly where your donations have gone this past fiscal year and where we are focusing our efforts right now.

 

We can't say it enough "Radio collars, radio collars, radio collars!" This season's radio collars and vaccinations will be shipping out in the next few weeks, along with the bill. 

Your donations help fund these vital efforts to protect island foxes.

Biologists, researchers and pathologists from across the Channel Islands also reported on island fox status and health. 

The news is good and FIF will post a summary of the Working Group Meeting next week.

Friends of the Island Fox Welcomes New Board Member: Lara Brenner

Friends of the Island Fox is thrilled to welcome Lara Brenner to its Board of Directors.

Lara is a wildlife biologist and scientific writer who has been working with island foxes on Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz Island since 2017. She has a degree in Environmental Studies from Carleton College and a Master of Science in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana.

FIF worked with Lara on the testing of ticks on Catalina Island and efforts to slow down traffic to save island foxes from being hit by vehicles.

She brings the unique experience of working with island foxes in the field.

Lara says: Compared to most mesocarnivores, island foxes are a joy to work with. Their relative docility takes a lot of the uncertainty out of catching and handling them, while their curiosity and fearlessness inspire some truly cheeky behaviors (like trying to steal a bag of bait right out of your hand!).

First-time observers are often amazed to see an island fox sitting calmly on a biologist's lap with few restraints, and I've often heard the comment that they must know we're trying to help them. 

I think it's more an artifact of evolution - after around 10,000 years as the apex land predator, they have no concept that they could be in any danger from a larger mammal! Of course, island foxes are still wild animals and it doesn't pay to let your guard down. I wouldn't want to reach into a cage without my trusty leather gloves - a bite from an island fox is no joke!

FIF Welcomes Lara Brenner.

[What's a mesocarnivore? A medium-sized carnivore. (Think raccoon, bobcat, gray fox or feral cat.) Most medium-sized predators have to be feisty in order to catch their prey and also defend themselves from larger predators.]

Celebrating the Successful Recovery of the Island Fox

Once on the brink of extinction, the island fox now roams freely across the Channel Islands. It's a conservation success story. On the four-year anniversary of the official U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announcement removing the island fox (Urocyon littoralis) from the Endangered Species List (ESL), foxes are stable in number and overall health.

Official numbers reported at May 2020 IFC  Working Group

In spite of the fact that this remarkable recovery is still celebrated today, conservation work is never completely done. Island foxes remain a conservation-reliant species. Threats still exist to the foxes from parasites, viruses, and human impacts as the islands are visited more and more each year. Keeping island foxes safe and healthy requires understanding of their diet, reproduction, lifespan, behavior, and disease threats.

On-going research doesn't just benefit the island fox. The lessons learned help other rare species as well. The Sierra Nevada red fox is benefiting from viable population modes that were developed for island foxes on Catalina. While not a one-to-one relationship, it is a reference that provides related information for another fox's demographic needs. It's science for Fox sake!

 

The power of partnership and focus can realize dramatic results and we have to look no farther than the group of islands off the Southern California coast. Today each spring fox kits are born as helpless little beings that would not survive without their parent's constant attention. In the course of six short months these tiny helpless creatures grow into self-sufficient cinnamon, gray, and black-colored predators that leave their birth den and seek out their own piece of the island. Those long summer days spent with their parents learning fox philosophy ensure the cycle, inherent in the fox's life, completes itself for the continued survival of the island fox. - Mike Watling

Friends of the Island Fox celebrates the recovery and continued success of the island fox with all of our donors, Island Fox Ambassadors, volunteers, and partners, especially:

• The Island Fox Conservation Working Group 
• CA Fish & Wildlife Service
• Catalina Island Conservancy
• Channel Islands National Park
• Channel Islands Restoration
• FIF Research Grant Recipients
• Fresno Chaffee Zoo Wildlife Conservation Fund
• Santa Barbara Zoo
• The Nature Conservancy
• University of California, Davis
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• U.S. Navy

Friends of the Island Fox is accepting applications for our 2020 FIF Research Grant through August 31, 2020. More info and application

Foxes on Santa Cruz Island are Wearing FIF Collars

This island fox was captured and counted this week on Santa Cruz Island. 

She received a health check and her radio-tracking collar was replaced with a newly refurbished collar. Her old collar will come off and be eligible for refurbishing. 

Earlier this year, 20 radio collars from Santa Cruz Island were sent in for refurbishing and funded by FIF.

In just a few minutes this little fox was released back into the wild. Her refurbished radio collar has a battery that will last 2-3 years.

Her microchip enables biologists to identify her as a specific individual. If she is caught again this summer, the microchip reader will quickly identify her so that she can be released immediately without being handled.

Your donation of $220 would recycle her used radio collar to be placed on another island fox.

This Island Fox Pup Needs You!

Across the Channel Islands, winter rains have renewed the native island plants and increased food resources for island foxes. 

2019 should be a good year for island fox pups!

Most island foxes are born in April. For the first several months of their lives, they depend on their mother for milk. Both parents will then bring food to the youngsters back at the den. Pups, generally, emerge in June and over the summer their parents teach them how to hunt and find native fruit. Healthy island fox parents have a head start in raising healthy pups.

You can help keep island foxes healthy and safe. 

This year the need for radio-tracking collars is greater than ever.

On each island 50–60 island foxes wear radio-tracking collars. Each year 30% to 50% of the collars need to be replaced or refurbished.

 

In 2019, Friends of the Island Fox is trying to fund:

• Over 30 refurbished radio collars - $220 each
• And 10 new radio collars - $350 each

island fox is vaccinated during health check

These radio collars will be assigned to island foxes this summer and fall during annual counting and health checks. A radio-tracking collar monitors an island fox's movements and signals to biologists when an island fox has died. Radio-tracking collars provide the first alert that disease, parasites, or unexpected predators have killed an island fox.

The sooner biologists can respond to a new threat, the more island foxes can be protected.

Friends of the Island Fox is also helping to fund important investigations into new health threats facing island foxes:

• Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses
• intestinal parasites that are causing island fox deaths
• diseases introduced to the islands by people, pets, and transported wildlife

photo courtesy of Inge Rose

Foxes need your help with science-based solutions.

• $25 tests a tick sample for 5 diseases
• $50 checks two blood samples
• $100 analyzes diet from 10 whisker samples
• $220 refurbishes a used radio collar
• $350 funds a new radio collar

Island foxes need all of us to help assure the pups of 2019 grow up in a healthy island fox community.

Please DONATE today

Friends of the Island Fox Helps Save Island Foxes on Catalina Island

What is the biggest threat to island foxes on several islands? 

Being hit by a car! 
(See Island Fox Update 2018)

Island foxes are small, camouflaged for their environment, and vulnerable to speeding cars.

Thanks to Friends of the Island Fox a speed-detecting traffic sign on Catalina Island is back in operation slowing down drivers. 

I'm happy to report that with funding from FIF we have repaired our radar speed detector and deployed it on the landscape! says Lara Brenner, Wildlife Biologist for the Catalina Island Conservancy. In the next few days I will take some time to hide in nearby brush and monitor the speed machine's efficacy at convincing people to slow down. Thank you so much for your continued support of our fox program. We hope to continue working with you to decrease the impact of vehicles on the Catalina island fox population.

The traffic sign is again alerting drivers to SLOW DOWN and watch for island foxes.

Some road areas are more deadly to island foxes than others. Reducing island fox access to human food and trash, deters these tiny animals from crossing busy roads. Friends of the Island Fox is also committed to replacing old and dangerous trash cans on Catalina with "Fox-Saver" bins and putting fox-proof food lockers in campgrounds. When island foxes are denied access to human food and trash they are healthier and safer.

Thank you to ALL of our DONORS who helped fund this important fox-safety effort on Catalina. Working with the Catalina Island Conservancy, we can make sure Catalina Island foxes continue to have a solid recovery and healthy future.

Support Conservation Efforts That Work

In 2015, Friends of the Island Fox began working with the Catalina Island Conservancy (CIC) on a project to replace deteriorating trash containers that threatened island fox survival. (See the direct and in-direct danger to island foxes)

As of January 2017, FIF has funded the installation of 7 “Fox-Saver” bins. Julie King, Director of Conservation and Wildlife Management with the CIC sent us this exciting report from the field:

The wildlife-proof cans that we installed out at Parson's Landing (remote beach campground) have made a HUGE difference! 

Before I would spend 30 minutes each day I was out there [counting island foxes] picking up trash that foxes and ravens had drug into the bushes. I would always catch foxes there ... loaded with lice. [They had become] habituated moochers. This year, it was so different. No trash to be found on the ground or in the bushes and no foxes caught. To me, no foxes in camp is a testament to the effectiveness of the new trash cans. No more free meals. Outside of camp, there were plenty of foxes and they were all in great shape. Nice to see!

Six new bins have replaced the two large dilapidated wooden containers. The result is healthier island foxes, no foxes coming to the area for free food and becoming more likely to be hit by automobiles, and no foxes trapped inside deathtrap trash cans.

We know what works. Removing an unnatural food source also reduces unnatural concentrations of island foxes thereby decreasing the possible spread of disease. Prevention of problems is financially cost effective and reduces the need to react to crisis situations.

Friends of the Island Fox supports conservation measures that are proven to work:

• Vaccination for island foxes against canine distemper and rabies
• Monitoring with radio collars and annual counting to quickly detect unnatural population decline
• Securing trash with “Fox-Saver” bins to deter unnatural island fox behavior and threats from human activities

We are working with our friends at CIC on other measures to make campgrounds less attractive to island foxes and more usable for humans.

Now more than ever, island foxes need you to secure their survival into the future.

Channel Island Fox Status Update 2015

photo courtesy of M. Solomon

The annual meeting of the Island Fox Conservation Working Group in 2015 reported that the general status of the six subspecies of California's Channel Island foxes is GOOD.

However, four of six islands saw dips or declines in population in 2014. The historic drought and its impacts on food resources is believed to be the cause. Biologists on Santa Catalina have documented a direct connection between rainfall levels and island fox reproduction. Years with drought-level precipitation result in reduced plant food and prey, thereby causing fewer island fox pups to be born or to survive. The extent of drought impact varies significantly by island.

Minimal drought impacts on Santa Cruz Island, 2015

 Despite the drought, recovery of the four endangered subspecies of island fox has been very successful and this spring (March 2015), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced initiation of a status review of the four subspecies. 

Introduced disease continues to threaten all island foxes and a lack of canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccine safe for use in island foxes has been a major concern for two years. The Working Group took urgent steps, and Friends of the Island Fox participated, to determine the effectiveness of a newly available CDV vaccine.
 

courtesy of E. Gotthelf

All island fox subspecies are maintaining stable populations and there are no issues which put any Channel Island fox subspecies in eminent threat of extinction. The continuing drought, however, has more severely impacted island foxes on San Miguel and San Nicolas Islands. As seen in the past, each island faces its own concerns and challenges.


Island Fox Update 2015 pdf a specific island-by-island summary

• San Miguel Island - 520 (low of 15 in the year 2000). Population recovered with over 500 individuals since 2010. Slight population dip. Concern: Threat from new parasites continues, as do drought impacts (see below)
• Santa Rosa Island - 874 (low of 15 in the year 2000). Population recovery stalled by drought, but stable.
• Santa Cruz Island - 1,750* (low of 62 in the year 2002). Population recovered and robust with over 1,000 individuals since 2009. No discernible drought impacts.
• Santa Catalina Island - 1,717 (low of 103 in the year 2000). Population recovered and stable with over 1,000 individuals since 2010. Slight population dip. Concern: Drought impacts and human related impacts, including car strike, and high risk for introduced disease.
• San Clemente Island - 1,230* (not Endangered). Population stable. Concern: Continued fatalities to automobile strike.
• San Nicolas Island - 263* (not Endangered). Population has declined ~41% since 2012 because of drought impacts. Concern: Habitat destruction has left island foxes dependent on non-native plants and prey which have declined dramatically in the drought, see below.

The graph above shows population numbers on even years, therefore the dip from 2013 is not represented. For more detailed graphs see the Island Fox Update document. The numbers represented  are the official 2014 population figures reported at the Island Fox Conservation Working Group Meeting 6/16/15. *Population figures represent adults only.

Concerns:
Healthy plant and animal populations fluctuate normally with available resources. Recovered island fox populations naturally dip when there is not enough food, water, or territory. There is a natural limit to the number of island foxes an island can support, also known as carrying capacity.

Low rainfall has impacted food resources across the Channel Islands. However, islands have not been impacted equally. Some islands appear to have greater natural drought tolerance.

As recently discovered by analyzing island-fox diet, Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz Islands have greater native plant biodiversity than the other smaller islands. Native island vegetation evolved with periods of drought. Native plants are better able to survive and produce fruit vital for the survival of island animals. The greater the native plant biodiversity, the greater the survival options for island foxes.

island fox footprints among ice plant on San Nicolas

The island-fox-diet study pointed out that island foxes on San Miguel and San Nicolas Islands were dependent on plant and invertebrate species which had been introduced to their islands, replacing native plant habitat.  Unfortunately, these introduced plant species, especially, ice plant, and the non-native creatures that live in it–snails and earwigs, have declined dramatically during the last two years of extreme drought. The impact has been greatest on San Nicolas Island where average island-fox weight has declined and the population has dropped 41% since 2012.

Restoring native vegetation is the best long term solution for healthy island fox populations on these two islands. (for more on this topic, see the Island Fox Update 2015 pdf document above)

A secondary impact of the drought has been increased complications with parasites. Changes in diet and decreased general health leave island foxes more vulnerable to internal and external parasites. Here again, each island has its own specific parasite challenges. (See Island Fox Update 2015 pdf for details) (Spiny-headed worm on San Miguel Island first detected in 2013).

Introduced disease continues to pose a threat to all island foxes, especially on islands visited by people. Dogs, cats, and introduced species, like raccoons, are all avenues for disease to be transported to isolated and disease-naive island foxes. Efforts to verify the effectiveness of a new CDV vaccine for island foxes is currently underway.

Positive Notes:

courtesy of D. Mekonnen

There are early anecdotal signs that the small amount of rain this spring and summer may be improving resources on the islands. More island fox pups have been spotted this summer than during the last two summers. However, the official impact on the populations will not be known until counting begins in fall.
  
Monitoring with radio collars continues to provide important information to land managers. Radio collars have helped verify that no golden eagles have returned to eat island foxes on the northern islands. Radio collars were instrumental in determining the cause of island-fox decline on San Nicolas Island. And they continue to provide early warning of disease introduction. Radio monitoring collars will also enable land managers to ethically determine the effectiveness of the new CDV vaccine.

Annual island fox health checks, serology testing, and counting identify threats to island fox survival early, so that actions can be taken to protect island populations.

‘Fox-Saver’ bins on Santa Catalina and the Navy's education outreach on San Clemente are all helping to reduce the number of island foxes hit and killed by cars.

Thank you to the Island Fox Conservation Working Group and all of the important work that has helped island foxes recover from the brink of extinction. Thank you also to the many participants on our June Santa Cruz Island Trip that have allowed us to show you their photographs.

FIF Funds Three "Fox-Saver" Bins for Catalina Island Foxes

Once again, people working together have helped protect the endangered island fox!

The lethal combination of old trash cans, enticing human trash, and proximity to roads with car traffic has created a growing problem for island foxes on Santa Catalina Island. Double Action to Save Island Foxes

Early winter 2014, eleven Catalina island foxes were hit by cars. Most were near areas of known trash problems.

But thanks to support from a wide range of private individuals and organizations, Friends of the Island Fox has met its goal to raise $6,000 to fund three "Fox-Saver" bins on Santa Catalina Island. The three bins will be placed in high-use areas where fox fatalities have been growing.

Thank you to everyone who helped raise funds for this important project. 

These bins not only help endangered island foxes, they create a healthier environment for people and other island species.

Double Action to Save Catalina Island Foxes

Help Friends of the Island Fox reduce a major threat to the Santa Catalina Island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae): human trash. 

Yes, eating human food is bad for island foxes. Adults dependent on human food fail to teach hunting skills to their offspring. (Island fox diet) However, the greater threat is the attraction of trash and the behavior island foxes engage in to reach readily available human food waste.

The first problem is that standard trash and recycling containers pose a threat to these small foxes. This old trash can, next to a fence, allows an island fox to easily climb inside. The fox's diminutive size means it can easily fit through openings and fall into trash receptacles. 

Aging bins are an enticing hazard.

photo courtesy of Lesly Lieberman and CIC

Once inside, island foxes have a difficult time getting out of these containers. Trash can lids are designed to push open from the outside. Catalina Island biologists have documented numerous cases of island foxes dying inside trash cans.

 

photo courtesy of Julie King, CIC

The second issue is that accessible trash cans encourage island foxes to cross roads and enter dangerous areas. Notice the island fox under the left side of the trash can pictured here. It is pulling trash out of the rusted bottom of this can. 

Catalina Island Conservancy biologists Julie King and Calvin Duncan report: 

Between April and May 2014, four foxes were hit and killed by vehicles in close proximity to open trash cans near Bird Park in Avalon and two more were hit and killed there in November. It is unknown how many other foxes may have been hit by vehicles in the area but did not immediately succumb to their injuries, and were therefore not accounted for.

courtesy of Julie King, CIC

Car strike has become the greatest killer of island foxes on Catalina Island. The island fox pictured to the right was killed by a car, notice the trash can on the other side of the road (to the left). Clusters of unnecessary island fox deaths are occurring in areas adjacent to public spaces with numerous trash cans.

New "Fox Saver" trash bins

But there is a solution to the double threat: trash bins that island foxes can not access.

“Fox Saver” bins are the same sturdy containers used at Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks to keep bears out of human trash. Opening the bin requires long human fingers. There is no opening for an island fox to easily enter.

Once the attraction of available human food waste is eliminated, we hope there will be less motivation for island foxes to cross roads, and maybe less attraction to venture into Avalon.

Purchasing these all-steel bins, shipping them to Santa Catalina Island, and installing them on a cement pad comes with a sizable price tag. Each bin costs $2,000. The Catalina Island Conservancy has a goal of replacing 150 trash bins across the island.

Friends of the Island Fox aims to raise $6,000 to fund three “Fox-Saver” bins to be placed in Avalon's Bird Park area. This should actively reduce island fox deaths along one of Santa Catalina's busiest roads. Your donation will help meet this goal and save island fox lives.

The Catalina Island fox is making a strong recovery, but its current restored population combined with growing human activity  has increased direct human threats to island fox survival. 

Help us make a positive impact by funding 
"Fox Saver" bins!