| The rate at which species are disappearing — which is said to be up to 1000 times faster than the natural rate — is frightening. By the time you finish reading this article one more of the earth’s 14 million species will have vanished, forever. Experts estimate that we are losing up to three species per hour, that’s 72 plants, animals or insects every single day.
In the midst of these massive extinctions resides some hope. By 1938, the swift fox had completely disappeared from the Canadian prairies, and today, thanks to a dedicated recovery program, close to a thousand swift foxes, 99 per cent of which have been born in the wild, have resettled in Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and the state of Montana.
"This is the most successful reintroduction program in the world," says Dr. Axel Moehrenschlager, Head of the Centre for Conservation Research at the Calgary Zoological Society. "This recovery program is seen as a significant event and confirms that our approach is viable for reintroducing species into the wild," he says.
The challenge in saving a species is multifaceted, the first is to secure a portion of its population before it has completely vanished from the Earth’s forests, plains or oceans, and then develop and implement the best possible recovery program for that particular species.
The swift fox had disappeared from Canada by the middle of the 20th century. It was a victim of the fur trade industry, was poisoned during programs to eliminate unwanted animals such as wolves and lost its habitat as a result of the conversion of native prairie into farmland. However, a small population of North America’s smallest canine, (it weighs just 2.5 kilograms), was still hanging on in the U.S. Prairies.
"In the 1970s, the Smeeton family began to breed swift foxes, which had originated in Kansas and Colorado, on their private estate near Cochrane. Dr. Steve Herrero, who is well-known for his excellent research on grizzly bears, saw an opportunity to involve this small, attractive species in a reintroduction program," says Moehrenschlager. As this conservation effort gained momentum, an increasing number of government and non-government agencies, as well as breeding organizations gave their support.
"Compared to other canines they breed disproportionably well in captivity, and they can breed in their first year as well as in successive years," says Moehrenschlager. The first group of swift foxes was released into the wild in 1983 south of the Cypress Hills in Alberta after nearly a decade of captive breeding. "The original method for releasing foxes was through a method we call soft release. Small enclosures were built on the prairie, where the foxes were kept for weeks or months and then the enclosures were removed," explains Moehrenschlager. But that method was soon abandoned because it required an excessive investment of time and resources. As well, there were concerns that these enclosures would attract predators, such as coyotes.
Subsequently, the conservation research team switched to a hard-release approach that involves driving out into the prairie with the swift foxes loaded in kennels. The cages are opened at a desired site and the foxes take off. "But we soon found out that hard releases weren’t necessarily optimal," says Moehrenschlager.
"We evaluated the hard-release method by following the animals after their release. What we found was that after their release the foxes ran for a long time, and the longer they ran (because they don’t recognize their surroundings), the more likely they were going to die. And of the ones that did survive, the further they ran from the release site, the less likely they were going to breed, probably because it took them longer to get settled and find a mate," explains Moehrenschlager.
Following these important results, the team at the Centre for Conservation Research recommended that the soft-release approach be readopted for future releases of swift foxes into the wild. These results also attracted the attention of government and conservation agencies in Canada and abroad. Modified soft-release methods have been utilized for swift fox reintroductions in South Dakota and Montana.
The last continuous yearly release of the swift fox in Canada was made in 1997, after 14 consecutive years. The first census was conducted in 1996/97 and showed that the population was doing well and that 81 per cent of the swift foxes had been born in the wild. The next census, which was done in 2000/01, revealed that the swift fox population had tripled, and that 99 per cent of that population had been born in the wild. Several of these foxes had also settled as far away as Northern Montana. The results of the last census, carried out in 2005/06, have not been released yet, but Moehrenschlager hints that they are promising.
"Their presence in the prairies is a good indicator," says Moehrenschlager. "If the swift fox can survive and thrive in the Prairies, it means that there still is some biological integrity within the prairie ecosystem. "It’s an opportunity to right some past wrongs and a sign that it’s possible to restore some of our past mistakes. It should compel all of us to do more of the same."
The Centre for Conservation Research is currently working on recovering and eventually reintroducing five other species into the wild including the black-footed ferret, the burrowing owl, the northern leopard frog, the Vancouver Island marmot and the whooping crane. "Our initiatives are only possible through the collaboration of multiple stakeholders," says Moehrenschlager. "The reality is that sometimes the decision to protect an endangered species will conflict with something else. This is when you require people to have vision and courage to make the right decisions," he says.
In order to protect an endangered species, it goes without saying that its habitat needs to be preserved. Legal feuds are possible, however, when that critical habitat is also home to significant fossil fuel deposits, for instance. "Since their reintroduction, the swift fox populations haven’t faced any major threats, but there is an increasing threat with the extensive development of the Prairies for oil and gas. As our energy needs increase over the coming decades, so will the pressures on these ecosystems, which support the swift fox and many other species," says Moehrenschlager.
Scientists say that the earth is experiencing its sixth great biological extinction. Thus the promise that we can truly help restore and conserve biodiversity is encouraging. The success story of the swift fox is promising and uplifting in these times of impending global doom. Yet the swift fox is still on the list of endangered species, and its survival, along with other prairie species, still hangs by a thin thread.
"The battle to restore and protect endangered species is one that we should all fight together. There are many ways that everyone can help, and I think that part of the solution is for everyone to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions," says Moehrenschlager, who is worried about climate-change effects on prairie species such as the swift fox.
Species extinction and global warming are interconnected through invasive human activities such as forest burning for crops and the burning of fossil fuels for transportation as well as the burning of fossils fuels for home heating and the production of manufactured goods for billions of consumers. The effects of global warming are transforming the landscape of wild spaces around the globe. Graphically illustrating this situation, polar bears are currently struggling to survive due to the melting of Arctic ice. Over time, these effects will also be felt on the Prairies, transforming the region’s landscape into very dry and desert-like terrain, consequently destroying the swift fox’s habitat.
"From a philosophical standpoint, what right do we have to contribute to the demise of other species in the world? In a way, the success of the swift fox is a beacon of hope," says Moehrenschlager. "As humans we are incredibly powerful and with great power comes great responsibility."
THE SWIFT FOX
· is the smallest North American canine, weighing around 2.5 kilograms
· is nicknamed as the prairie phantom as it can run up to 60 km/h
· usually lives in mated pairs but will re-pair if a mate dies
· males participate in the raising of the young and will take over if the mother dies
· mostly feed on ground squirrels, mice, voles, birds, carrion and insects
· main predators are coyotes and golden eagles
· resides in multiple den sites when raising their young
· lives in short and mixed-grass prairie with flat or gentle rolling hills & sparse vegetation |
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