A rare Sierra Nevada red fox was spotted by the National Park Service at Yosemite National Park twice in recent weeks. It’s the first time that the fox had been seen in the park in nearly 100 years.
The NPS reports that it is considered one of the rarest mammals in the continent, as it is estimated that less than 50 individual Sierra Nevada foxes exist.
“We are thrilled to hear about the sighting of the Sierra Nevada red fox, one of the most rare and elusive animals in the Sierra Nevada,” Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park Superintendent, said in a statement. “National parks like Yosemite provide habitat for all wildlife and it is encouraging to see that the red fox was sighted in the park.”
A Sierra Nevada red fox was spotted on Dec. 13, 2014 and on Jan. 4, 2015, with images captured by motion-sensitive cameras that biologists had posted in the northern portion of the park.
While this is the first time that the Sierra Nevada had been seen within the park in 100 years, the NPS said that it was seen in 2010 in the Sonora Pass, north of the park. Before that, it hadn’t seen at all on two decades.
According to CNN, little is known about the foxes and the Forest Service isn’t completely sure why their population is still so low. Hunting and trapping them has been banned since 1974.
image courtesy of the National Park Service