Status of the Santa Catalina Island Fox Thirteen Years after Its Decline
2014
King, Julie L. | Duncan, Calvin L. | Garcelon, David K.
Santa Catalina Island was home to an estimated 1342 adult island foxes (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) in 1990. Nine years later, fox sightings declined and reports of dead or dying foxes increased. An island-wide trapping effort was initiated after a fox carcass tested positive for Canine distemper virus (CDV). In 1999, only 10 foxes were captured east of the Two Harbors isthmus during 1046 trap-nights. A multifaceted conservation plan was implemented in 2000 to conserve the Santa Catalina population of island fox. Initial recovery actions took place from 2000 to 2005 and resulted in the translocation of 22 juvenile foxes from the unaffected West End of the island to the depopulated eastern portion, the production and release of 37 pups from the captive breeding facility, and the vaccination of >80% of the wild fox population against CDV. Since 2006, fox recovery activities have included an annual island-wide population survey, vaccination of 300 foxes per year, weekly mortality monitoring of 50 radio-collared individuals, blood sampling to monitor the prevalence of CDV, veterinary treatment of injured foxes, and public outreach. Low mortality rates, successful breeding in the wild, and mitigation of the original cause of decline allowed for Catalina's fox population to grow to an estimated 1115 adults by 2012 and to be considered biologically recovered. The outbreak of another virulent canine disease on Santa Catalina Island, such as CDV or rabies, continues to be the greatest threat to the long-term survival of U. l. catalinae due to the species' restricted distribution and small population size, as well as the continued presence of domestic dogs on the island.
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