A rare subspecies of red fox that was once thought to be extinct, only to be rediscovered in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, has been discovered living in the Cascades of Oregon as well. The fox is adapted to living in the alpine tundra and scientists think that livestock grazing, and the poisoning of rodents by ranchers, has reduced rodent numbers to a point that there are barely enough to support the foxes.
Little is known about the foxes but they are one of the most critically endangered mammals in North America.
Threatened California fox species found in Oregon.
San Francisco Chronicle
Ken Cole
Ken Cole, Western Watershed Project’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Coordinator, is a 5th generation Idahoan, an avid fly fisherman, wildlife enthusiast, and photographer. He can be reached via email at: ken@westernwatersheds.org
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Very interesting and sort of good news: Found the animal but still very rare…
I assume this is a unique subspecies of red fox. I know that Ben Sacks did research on them and found that the agricultural foxes don’t/rarely interact with this type of fox as the ag ones are likely European red foxes. Some interesting work from his lab.