The Santa Cruz Island Fox is a creature that was on the brink of extinction.

Sitting at a mere four pounds, it is no bigger than a typical house cat. For
thousands of years this fox has been the apex predator of the island. This
however changed with human intervention driving down the numbers. As
recent as 2002 only sixty-two species remained on Santa Cruz island down
from an estimated one thousand four hundred and sixty-five in 1994. This
means only 4.3% of the population from 1994 has remained.

Santa Cruz Island fox in tree; photo: Kathy Van Slyke

The island fox is quite a unique creature as it is the only carnivore that is
unique to California. It is also the biggest terrestrial mammal on the island.
They typically live up to fifteen years of age, similar to that of a
domesticated dog. Much like the domesticated dog they communicate by
barking or growling. They also mark their territories as such. The island fox is
typically monogamous and only breed once a year. This likely plays a part in
the difficulty of raising the population numbers. Island fox couples are seen
together as early as January and mating takes place late February to early
March. Upon birth the baby fox pups are blind. The litter usually consists of
anywhere from three to five fox pups. It is believed they receive an extended
period of parental care, with even the male parent playing a role in raising
the young island fox pups.

island fox pup; photo: NPS volunteer Inge Rose

Humans have been the biggest cause of the dwindling number of the of the
island fox numbers, but not directly as many may think. The island fox isnt
necessarily hunted or anything of the like. However, humans are often
responsible for bringing over foreign diseases and parasites that can be
deadly to the island fox. An example of this occurred to the island fox from
Santa Catalina island. A deadly disease known as canine distemper virus was
accidentally brought over on a boat carrying an infected raccoon. This
disease was transmitted to the Santa Catalina island fox and killed 90% of
the population.
The biggest threat to the Santa Cruz island fox is another result of human
intervention. The chemical known as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
was a widely used pesticide, now banned, that found its way into the marine
environment. Another predator on the island is the bald eagle, the bald eagle
feeds off of fish and sea birds yet leaves the island fox alone. Upon ingesting
the tainted sea life, the bald eagles began to lay eggs that had thin shells.
The eggs would unfortunately be crushed under the incubation parent. This
led to the decline of the bald eagle. The bald eagle is a territorial bird and
will fend off competing species of eagles. With the bald eagles out of the
picture the golden eagles moved in and threw off balance the ecosystem.
The golden eagles unlike the bald eagles did prey on the island fox and
nearly ate the fox to extinction.
In order to bring the species back from near extinction many measures had
to be taken. The key measures being:

To breed the species under protection in captivity

Reintroduce the bald eagle to the island and allow them to breed
Capture and relocate the golden eagles
Microchip and track the island fox for regular health checks