Fox Foto Friday - Creating a Living Library

 What's in these vials?

 

courtesy L. Brenner, TNC

Island fox blood samples going back decades. 

During annual health check-ups, samples are taken of island fox blood. Blood samples can be used to screen for increased antibodies to a specific virus, to check for toxins, or to provide genetic information.

 

 

These island fox blood samples from Santa Cruz Island are currently being archived and prepared for long-term cryogenic storage at the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) at the University of New Mexico. 

For years, island fox samples have been housed in freezers spread across counties and agencies. While a collection of samples are stored at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, samples from different islands have been stashed in a variety of locations with ever-changing safety measures or lack there of. The value of these specimens to science is degraded if they experience unreliable freezing, are not accessible, or are misplaced.

In 2023, FIF worked with the Dept. of Defense and the U.S. Navy to move some specimens from San Nicolas Island foxes to the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB), one of the largest and most advanced centers for archiving mammal specimens.

 

At the end of 2024, FIF assisted The Nature Conservancy with sending historic island fox blood samples from Santa Cruz Island to the MSB. The last group arrived in New Mexico March 26, 2025.

FIF's goal is to have scientific samples from all six islands archived, protected, and available to future researchers. 

 

Island foxes on San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands have been through a historic genetic bottleneck; one that most geneticists considered impossible to recover from. Yet today, island foxes persevere. Island foxes can teach us about evolution, adaptation, and species sustainability. The information in this living library will provide future researchers with access to crucial data.

Donations to FIF help support important island fox research 

Apply for FIF's 2025 Research Grant 

Genetic research currently supported by Friends of the Island Fox:

• Transcriptomics in RNA and island fox health
• Comparing the genetics of the small founding populations on San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands with today's island fox populations

Annual Meeting of Island Fox Conservation Working Group

photo courtesy of Channel Islands National Park

 Every year biologists, veterinarians, researchers, educators, private individuals, government officials and land managers involved with Channel Island foxes meet in June to share information. As the four endangered subspecies have approached population recovery, funding for this important annual meeting has weakened. 

This year the June 2014 meeting of 

the Island Fox Conservation Working Group 

is being hosted by Friends of the Island Fox!

Through the generous donations of private individuals and community organizations, FIF is making sure this important networking and sharing of scientific information continues. Thank you to all of our island fox supporters. You have made a huge difference for the continued success of endangered island fox recovery.

When the Working Group meets next week there will be specific updates on each island fox subspecies. (Six different subspecies). 

Representatives from Channel Islands National Park, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Institute for Wildlife Studies, Catalina Island Conservancy, United States Navy, The Nature Conservancy, University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Santa Barbara Zoo, Smithsonian Institute, Channel Islands Park Foundation and Friends of the Island Fox will present reports and discuss issues pertaining to island foxes.

Island fox having teeth checked during Health Check, NPS

Some of the Report Topics:

• Pathology from island foxes that died over the past year
• The future of a representative mainland zoo population
• Amyloidosis in island foxes (a build up of proteins that can cause health problems)
• Modeling the risk of epidemic disease for island foxes
• What new genetic information reveals about the evolutionary history of the island fox
• Procedures to de-list eligible island fox subspecies from the Endangered Species List

Proposed Issues for Discussion:

• Agency plans for detecting and mitigating golden eagle predation
• Fine tuning the epidemic response plan regarding sentinel fox mortalities
• Impact of a new parasite detected in San Miguel Island foxes
• Storage and utilization of island fox biological samples (obtained from island foxes during health checks and from necropsy of deceased foxes)
• Decision tree for treating injured wild island foxes

You can see the important items that will be addressed and information that will be shared. The greatest successes for endangered species come when people sit down together and share their expertise and ideas for solutions. 

Thank you again to all of our island fox friends that helped to continue this important meeting.