Swift Fox

Vulpes velox

by Elaine Williams, WPTC Executive Director

The swift fox (Vulpes velox), is one of the smallest foxes in the world, and is only found in the Great Plains of North America. This fox is only about the size of a house cat, standing about 30 cm high and weighing about 2.7 kilograms. The swift fox gets its name because it can reach speeds of up to 40 km per hour. At one time the fox could be found in great numbers all over the Canadian grasslands of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Their U.S. range included several states between North Dakota and Mexico.

Status:
The swift fox is now endangered in 90% of its historical habitat range. The reasons for the disappearance of swift foxes in both Canada and the U.S. are uncertain, but strychnine-poisoning, intensive trapping (in the past), and habitat destruction are thought to be the primary causes.

Conservation Efforts
In 1973, a captive breeding program for swift foxes began in Cochrane, Alberta. The captive breeding program for these foxes, supported by Wildlife Preservation Trust of Canada (WPTC), has been very successful.
With a well-established breeding program, swift fox releases began in 1983. The Swift Fox Recovery Team decided to begin in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan in an effort to reintroduce this species to its native Canadian habitat. Since 1983, over 800 swift foxes have been released. By 1991, about 250 of the released foxes had survived. Following two harsh winters and an apparent doubling of coyote numbers, present estimates of the swift fox population have dropped to 120-150.
Swift foxes once got most of their food by scavenging wolf and bear kills. As wolves and grizzly bears have disappeared from the Canadian plains, coyotes have taken their place. This has put the swift fox in competition with the coyote. Because the coyote is a much larger animal, it will usually win the fight and kill the fox.

Swift Fox Diaries
Researchers are spending 365 days a year for 3 years in the field observing swift foxes. Take a look at entries from the field journals of Axel Moehrenschlanger, a young Canadian Ph.D. student.

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