Meet the Foxy Residents - Catalina Island Foxes: Surviving with a Little Help from their Friends By Photographer and Contributor Steve Tabor
Meet the Foxy Residents -Catalina Island Foxes: Surviving with a Little Help from their Friends
By Photographer and Contributor Steve Tabor
Contrary to what many believe, Catalina Island was never connected to Southern California’s mainland land mass. The Island was formed by a complex set of tectonic plate movements by the North American Plate, Pacific Plate and the Farallon Plate. This seismic activity has caused much wonderment about how the endemic species of plants and animals arrived on the Island.
The origin of the Catalina Island foxes is one of those stories. All foxes found on the Channel Islands, including those found on Catalina Island, are descendants of the mainland gray fox. It is estimated that the Catalina Island Fox arrived on the Island about 5,400 years ago. Because Catalina was never connected to the Southern California mainland, the introduction of fox population to the Island remains uncertain. Some believe that it was possible the first foxes arrived by riding on logs and large debris fields that drifted across the channel between the mainland and Catalina Island. However, it is well documented during early California history there were bands of seafaring indigenous people that inhabited the Channel Islands and the California coastline. The Gabrielino/Tongva inhabited the Los Angeles basin. Prior to European exploration period, Catalina Island was known as Pimuvits and inhabited by the indigenous people known as the Pimu Tongva. It is widely believed that they are responsible for introducing large numbers of the foxes to the Island’s environment.
The Channel Island foxes can be found on six of the eight Channel Islands. Each island’s population is a genetically distinct subspecies. Since the late 1990’s, San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina have experienced declines in their fox populations. In 2004, the population declines led to their subspecies being placed on the Federal Endangered Species list. In hopes of reversing declining populations, similar efforts were instituted on each island. In 2016, due to the efforts of many biologists, three subspecies have been completely removed from the list, and the Catalina Island Fox status has been downgraded from the Endangered Species list to the Threatened Species list.
By 1999 the Catalina Island Fox population plummeted from more than 1,300 animals to approximately 100 animals. The decrease in the population was later attributed to an outbreak of canine distemper that was traced back to a raccoon who was most likely a stowaway on a personal boat. To address decline, the Catalina Island Conservancy (CIC), a non-profit created by Philip Wrigley to protect the Island’s wildlands, joined forces with the Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS).
During the initial phase of the recovery program from 2001 to 2002, the recovery team moved 22 juvenile foxes from the West End of the Island to an area on the East End of the Island that had an undetectable fox population. Next, a captive breeding program was initiated to complement any reproductive activities that were occurring in the wild. Between 2001-2004, 37 pups were born in the captive breeding program and released.
The next phase of the recovery plan began an annual vaccination and examination program along with an active monitoring program. This phase of the project calls for CIC conservation personnel to venture out across the Island to vaccinate more than 300 foxes against distemper and rabies as well as perform health examinations. The health exam includes weighing the animal, a dental check-up, examining for mites, fleas, ticks and other parasites, and a check for the presence of ear tumors. Although the specifics have yet to be determined, there is a correlation between the presence of ear mite infections and the prevalence for ear tumors among the Island Foxes. Ivermectin, a drug, is placed in each ear to remove the mites and reduce the chance of ear tumors.
In addition to the examinations, a microchip is inserted into any fox that does not already have one. Microchips are the key to tracking each fox’s long-term health and identifying the fox should they fall victim to illness or injury. Approximately, 50 to 60 individual foxes are fitted with electronic monitoring collars. These collared foxes do not receive vaccinations and serve as sentinels for the rest of the population. According to Wildlife Biologist Emily Hamblen, ”It is a way to help us detect the recurrence of distemper or rabies among the foxes before the entire population is affected.”
During the examinations, if a fox is found with a minor injury, staff will attempt to treat the aliment in the field. If the animal requires more intense treatment, the animal is taken to the CIC fox hospital in Middle Ranch. The fox is released back to the wild once it has it has recovered.
Since the beginning of the joint repopulation efforts by the CIC and IWS, the Island Fox population has shown a steady growth. In 2004, it was estimated that 300 foxes were spread across the Island. In 2017, the population estimates placed the numbers at over 2,000. The 2019 estimate places the population above 2,300 foxes. In addition to the breeding program, annual vaccinations and medical examinations, Hamblen attributes the recent increase in the population to significant rainfall, endemic plant and wildlife restoration, and protection from negative interactions with humans.
In an environment such as Catalina and the other Channel Islands, evolution reveals that smaller island species, such as birds and insects, tend to be slightly larger than their mainland cousins. For larger species, such as the Island Fox and bison, the counter is true, their mainland counterparts tend to be bigger than those species found on an island. It is believed that the Northern Channel Islands foxes were the first fox species to evolve into a smaller species than their mainland gray fox relatives. In the case of the Island foxes, they are the largest endemic terrestrial mammals on the Channel Islands, but they are significantly smaller than their mainland counterparts.
Adult Catalina Island Foxes weigh between four to six pounds. They are omnivores and eat mice, lizards, birds, insects, berries and cactus fruit. This diet increases their chances for survival as well as allows them to roam throughout the Catalina Island. Generally, they eat at dawn and dusk.
Island Foxes are generally monogamous. Breeding season extends from January to March with a 50 – 53-day gestation period. Their litters typically consist of two or three pups. The family unit remains together through early summer. During fall, the parents leave the natal area, and the juveniles are left alone. By early winter, the juveniles begin to establish their own territories.
Steve Tabor Bio
This South Bay native’s photographic journey began after receiving his first 35 mm film camera upon earning his Bachelor of Arts degree. Steve began with photographing coastal landscapes and marine life. As a classroom teacher he used photography to share the world and his experiences with his students. Steve has expanded his photographic talents to include portraits and group photography, special event photography as well as live performance and athletics. Steve serves as a volunteer ranger for the Catalina Island Conservancy and uses this opportunity to document the flora and fauna of the island’s interior as well as photograph special events and activities.
Watch for Steve Tabor Images on the worldwide web.
