Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

By the early 1990s only 90 individuals of the endangered Arctic fox subspecies Alopex lagopus semenovi, remained. These few survivors are confined to Mednyi Island, part of the Commander Islands chain. The formerly abundant population crashed in the mid-1970s and has never recovered from only 10-15 per cent of its former numbers. In 1983 the Mednyi Island foxes were listed in the Russian Red Data Book. Their demise coincided with the arrival of mange, introduced by seafaring trappers and caused by the mite Otodectes cynotis, which was associated with devastating cub mortality. In 1994, in a unique intervention, we sought to save the population by treating cubs with antiparasitic drugs. That summer, mortality was reduced. A census in 1995 suggested that over-winter survival was at least no worse, although it is too soon to judge whether this intervention can be a route to population recovery.

Type

Journal article

Journal

ORYX

Publication Date

01/12/1996

Volume

30

Pages

251 - 258