This year $15,656 was raised by a community of caring island fox Friends. The vaccine will be used in island fox health checks over the next few months. Thank you to:
Companion dogs are vaccinated against canine distemper annually and so are island foxes.
This Since June biologists have been out in the field across the Channel Islands vaccinating island foxes against rabies and canine distemper virus. The vaccine being administered across 4 islands was provided by donors like you. Who's helping fund vaccinations?
Did you know?
Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a dog version of the measles virus. It's highly contagious like measles, entering the body through the respiratory system. New research suggests that measles from humans was transferred to dogs 500 years ago during the Spanish colonization of South America.
Distemper spreads rapidly through wildlife populations. CDV infects dogs, foxes, wolves, and coyotes, but also raccoons, ferrets, and skunks. The virus is especially deadly to African and Asian species of big cats (lions, leopards, tigers, etc.)
CDV is so lethal to island foxes, they can't withstand the vaccine created for domestic dogs. Island foxes are treated with a dead-virus vaccine that is made in small batches, by one company, and is used by a short list of endangered species: black-footed ferret, giant panda, Iberian lynx, African wild dog, African lion, all tiger species, and other large cats.
A new study from Penn State University has found evidence that canine distemper virus is influencing grey wolf evolution. A gene mutation, CPD103, creates a black coat in grey wolves. This mutation also makes the lungs less susceptible to the introduction of disease. Black-colored grey wolves are less likely to become infected with CDV. In areas where CDV occurs in high rates, entire wolf populations become darker in color, because the lighter colored individuals are lost to the disease. Read more about this study.
Health efforts for rare wildlife go hand-in-hand with research. FIF raises funds to vaccinate island foxes and to investigate important health research.
$15,322 of vaccine is headed into the field to protect island foxes!
Donors like you made this possible!
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.
This year's 650 vaccinations were supported by:
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
We check the foxes for ectoparasites such as ticks, fleas, mites, and lice. We comb their fur to find fleas, and pay special attention to their ears, armpits, and belly area–where lice and ticks are often found.
Ticks are collected so we can identify the species and test them for viruses or bacteria they might be carrying. Since ticks can feed on multiple hosts in their lifetime, testing the ticks tells us about what diseases the island spotted skunks, deermice, and other island species might be exposed to as well.
We take a look in the fox's ears using an otoscope, just like the doctor uses to examine your ear canal. On Santa Catalina Island, where ear mites introduced by feral cats have been associated with ear tumors, foxes are treated with a topical medication to kill ear mites and reduce inflammation in the ear canal.
We collect blood from the jugular vein. This is used to test for exposure to disease, genetic analyses, and to look at other health parameters like liver and kidney function.
One of the most important steps is to administer vaccinations. A subset of the population is vaccinated every year for rabies and canine distemper virus. Neither disease is currently found on the Channel Islands, but we vaccinate as a preventative measure after the Santa Catalina Island foxes almost went extinct due to the introduction of canine distemper in 1999–2000. Vaccinations ensure that if there is ever an outbreak of either disease, at least the vaccinated foxes will survive to repopulate the island. (FIF's efforts to provide vaccine for island foxes in 2023)
A subset of foxes also gets radio collared.
These collars are small, less than 5% of their body weight, and do not interfere with the foxes going about their daily life. Collars serve multiple purposes, allowing us to track the size and location of home ranges, monitor survival, and find dead animals quickly so their carcasses can be sent for necropsy ASAP to identify the cause of death.
Most of the radio collared foxes are unvaccinated "sentinels," meaning if a disease outbreak occurs, they are not protected and may get sick, but their deaths will be detected via the change in their collar signal so we can recover the bodies for necropsy. Without collared animals, we would not know foxes were dying and would not be able to find the carcasses to get more information about the cause. Monitoring mortalities also gives us information on trends in other causes of death, such as internal parasites or being hit by cars, so we can address those threats as well.
Foxes are released after their workups and immediately run off! - Jessica Sanchez
You're making a HUGE difference for island foxes this summer.
Biosecurity is a major concern across the Channel Islands. Disease, especially viruses, can be introduced through unvaccinated pets, people, and wildlife species that are not native to the islands.
The island foxes on Catalina Island face the greatest potential biosecurity threat because their home is visited by millions of people
Friends of the Island Fox just purchased over $5,100 worth of vaccines to vaccinate 350 Catalina Island foxes this summer. Island foxes captured for health checks will receive two vaccinations:
Canine distemper virus: It's the equivalent of measles in humans. This virus is highly lethal to island foxes and killed over 90% of the Catalina Island fox population between 1998–2000. Even with a great deal of human assistance, it took until 2016 for the population to recover.
Rabies virus: Rabies is lethal to island foxes and dangerous to humans. Just like with dogs, the best protection is prevention.
It costs $20 to vaccinate and protect an island fox.
On this summer day you can help one rare fox survive.
What's in these vials? A vaccine that protects island foxes from canine distemper virus (CDV).
It takes $20 to vaccinate an island fox against CDV and rabies. Donors
like you have helped Friends of the Island Fox purchase these vials of
vaccine. We are committed to providing vaccinations for 300–350 island foxes on Catalina Island in 2021.
CDV is carried by raccoons and other wildlife, as well as pet dogs. Make sure your dog is vaccinated against canine distemper virus and help island foxes stay safe too.
$20protects an island fox for a year!
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