An injured Channel Islands fox is healing in Santa Barbara before heading for a bright future

THE GOLDEN STATE... is home to so many beautiful and fascinating fauna, from the condors that soar over the Big Sur surf to the bears that trundle through the higher points of the Sierra Nevada. These marvelous Californians are mainlanders, as are the countless animals that hold us in their amazing thrall, but there is an off-shore icon that people dearly love from afar: the island fox. These are the small and sprightly critters that call the Channel Islands home, and if you know your Channel Island foxes, then you know there are a handful of island fox subspecies that can only be found around the wild and wonderful isles (yep, six subspecies in all). So when a wee fox makes the news, ears across California have a way of pricking up.

A SAN NICOLAS ISLAND FOX... was found by biologists visiting the island for an island fox population survey in September 2023. An injury to her right hind leg meant transporting her to the mainland for care, a trip that had to be approved by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Approval was granted and the team at Santa Barbara Zoo, which has worked with island foxes before, took over, caring for her wound and, eventually, scheduling "a surgical repair" when it was deemed necessary. When she has fully healed, she will journey to an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited facility, where she will become a species ambassador, if the California Department of Fish and Wildlife approves the move. Returning to San Nicolas Island is not possible, as "she could pose a potential health risk to the rest of the remote island population," shares the Santa Barbara Zoo team.

FOXES FOREVER: Staying at the zoo, though fox fans may wish her to do so, cannot happen; the animal park is home to two island foxes named Lewis and Clark, a set of San Clemente Island brothers, so permanent housing for the recovering youngster is not available. If her move is approved, she will be the "first known San Nicolas island fox" to serve as an ambassador, a lofty title, indeed. Vice-President of Animal Care and Health, Dr. Julie Barnes stated "Santa Barbara Zoo has worked with conservation partner agencies for many years to preserve this species on the Channel Islands. We are happy to provide care for this young fox while she recovers from her injury. She will be a wonderful ambassador for her species on the mainland, helping to educate the public about island foxes, their exceptional island ecosystems, and the threats that they face." For more on the zoo's conservation efforts, visit this page. The non-profit group Friends of the Island Fox is also an excellent source of information.