Touted as a historic win for conservation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) biologists have successfully captured and GPS-collared a Sierra Nevada Red Fox in the Southern Sierra Nevada.
It happened near Mammoth Lakes, and marks the first time this elusive predator has been collared in the greater region, following a decade of research and three years of intensive trapping efforts.
The Sierra Nevada Red Fox is one of California’s rarest carnivores, with fewer than 50 estimated to remain in the region. Their isolation and preference for rugged, high-elevation terrain make them nearly impossible to study in the wild.
“This represents the culmination of 10 years of remote camera and scat surveys to determine the range of the fox in the southern Sierra, and three years of intensive trapping efforts,” said CDFW Environmental Scientist Julia Lawson. “Everyone on the team was thrilled to see our hard work pay off. Our goal is to use what we learn from this collared animal to work toward recovering the population in the long term.”
The Sierra Nevada Red Fox is a protected species in California and federally endangered. Data from this collar will reveal movement patterns, habitat use, and denning sites—critical info for a population once thought to be extinct in the area until a 2010 sighting.
This mission is a part of California’s 30×30 Initiative, which aims to protect 30% of the state’s land and water by 2030. By understanding how the Sierra Nevada Red Fox survives, state biologists say they can better protect the high-alpine ecosystems they call home.