San Joaquin Kit Fox - Luke Davies

Recovery Plan for the San Joaquin Kit Fox

Photographs by Mark Chappell (1)

Summary and Description of Ecology and Organism

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The kit fox is the smallest candid species in the North American region, while the San Joaquin kit fox is the largest subspecies in body, body, size and weight. Kit foxes have small slender body and larger ears that are close together, with a narrow nose and a long bushy tail. The fox ranges in size with the males being roughly 32 inches long, weighing 5 pounds, and the females averaging at about 30 inches in length and weighing 4.6 pounds. The San Joaquin kit fox develops two coats depending on the season, a tan summer coat and a silvery grey winter coat. Its diet varies based on seasonality and range, also depends on the abundance of potential prey. In the southern portion of their range, the like to feast on Kangaroo Rats, Pocket Mice, White Footed Mice and other nocturnal rodents. These rodents consist of about 1/3 of their diet. They also prey on smaller squirrels and nesting birds. Vegetation and insects commonly occur in their fleeces as well. Kit foxes breed within their first year and will often stay with the same mate throughout that year. Female foxes start preparing pupping dens during September and October. Breeding and conception usually occurs from January through March, producing litters ranging from 2 - 6 pups. While nursing the female fox is rarely seen hunting, while the male provides for the female and their pups.

Geographic and Population Changes

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The San Joaquin Kit Foxes can be found in the Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, San Benito, Merced, Stanislaus and Monterrey counties. The overall lifespan of the kit fox is 2 to 8 years depending on location. It is more common to find younger foxes rather than older ones because the mortality rate for foxes one year or less is 70%, while the mortality rate for foxes over one year is around 50%. The kit fox population and reproduction depends on rainfall each year. If there is a lot of rainfall, the there are more foxes, where as in drier years, less foxes. Kit fox populations have gone down in size due to open grassland turning into farmland, housing developments and roads have made it difficult for foxes to find mates, along with prey. This has had an impact in the decline of fox population in the San Joaquin valley. 

Listing Date and Type of Listing

The San Joaquin Kit Fox was Listed on the Endangered list as of March 11th, 1967. It is endangered wherever it may be found, which is generally central California up the the bay area. (3)

Cause of Listing and Main Threats (4)

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Kit foxes use to thrive in the Central Valley region, inhabiting native grasslands. As development occurred, their habitat became less and less, and encounters with humans have become problematic. Many of their native grasslands, have been converted to farmland, putting up fences and barriers, fragmenting their habitat. This causes the fox to often have issues finding food, and mates. Often when reproducing, since the female fox cannot hunt while nursing, the male fox sometimes can only find food for himself, while his female mate goes hungry.  Kit foxes main source of food is rodents and small insects, but will get into whatever they can find. For this reason, they often take advantage of whatever is available to them, including garbage and domestic pet food. When this happens their natural behavior changes, allowing them to lose fear of human interaction. They often get caught in sports nets, poisons and get hit by vehicles in the search for food.

Description of Recovery Plan (5)

Objective: The ultimate goal of this recovery plan is to delist the 11 endangered and threatened species and ensure the long-term conservation of the 23 candidates and species of concern. An interim goal is to reclassify the endangered species to threatened status.

Six sections of the recovery plan: 

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1. Recovery: This includes protection from development in order to preserve as much of the Fox's natural habitat as possible. The plan hopes to recover the species to its natural populations by implementing habitat management plans and identify areas for protection to allow for the fox to eventually become self sustaining. 
2. Habitat Protection: Considering that habitat loss is the main cause of population decline, a general goal is to establish a network of conservation areas and reserves, while preserving natural lands. Implementing blocks of conservation linkages is also a crucial goal, to provide movement between different conservation areas. 
3. Umbrella and keystone species: It is crucial to protect the Kit Fox because it provides a pivotal role in their habitat and enhancing the species below them. 
4. Monitoring and Research program: The recovery plan has been developed based on the best research to date. The program will continue to monitor and make changes as necessary in working towards recovery. 
5. Adaptive Management: This type of management allows for some type of management to be applied, then the population response is monitored. After seeing how the fox responds, the management plan will be adjusted to best achieve the goal of recovery. 
6. Economic and Social Considerations: This plan targets six tactics in which to reduce the cost of recovery. 
1. Focusing recovery, to the maximum extent possible, on lands already in public or conservation ownership,
2. Encouraging continuation of traditional land uses, such as seasonal livestock grazing, oil production, hunting, and wildland recreation, when compatible with listed species management needs,
3. Targeting agricultural land that must be retired, due to drainage problems or lack of irrigation water, for restoration to provide linkages or additional habitat for listed species,
4. Developing a safe harbor program as an incentive for landowners to maintain or create endangered species habitat on their property,
5. Developing other positive incentives, especially economic, for conservation, and
6. Tying, as closely as possible, the habitat protection network to local and regional conservation planning efforts, including habitat conservation plans.

Total Costs of Recovery: 

• Priority 1 tasks: $19,200,500
• Priority 2 tasks: $17,253,500
• Priority 3 tasks: $3,650,000

What can you do? 

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• Never feed a kit fox, or other wildlife and keep pets indoors. 
• Remove sources of water
• Seal trash containers to prevent access
• Put away bird feeders at night to avoid attracting rodents and other prey. 
• Pick up fallen fruit and cover compost piles. 
• Don't trap stray cats in areas used by kit foxes. Trapped foxes could get injured and their pups are vulnerable when unattended. 
• Never fill or destroy a burrow that may be used by kit foxes. State and federal laws protect their burrows. 
• Take down sports nets at schools, parks and other recreational facilities when not is use. Store furled and out of reach, especially at night. 
• Avoid the use of rodent poisons in kit fox habitat. 

Other Resources

The San Joaquin Kit Fox needs our help. If you live in the affected areas, here is a video that could help you better understand its issues and what you can do to help. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ymStkY0lA0&t=78s

Sources: 

(1) https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf
(2) https://defenders.org/san-joaquin-kit-fox/basic-facts

(3) https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A006

(4) https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Kit-Fox

(5) http://esrp.csustan.edu/publications/pubhtml.php?doc=sjvrp&file=execsum.html

Images: 

(1) https://www.google.com/search?q=san+joaquin+kit+fox+recovery+plan&rlz=1C1FLDB_enUS697US697&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi56vqSjdzZAhVHqVQKHdmKBsQQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=940#imgrc=oRbuKZbQJX_9kM:

(2)https://www.google.com/search?q=san+joaquin+kit+fox+recovery+plan&rlz=1C1FLDB_enUS697US697&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi56vqSjdzZAhVHqVQKHdmKBsQQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=940#imgrc=pd38Ud75JE2iOM:

(3)https://www.google.com/search?q=san+joaquin+kit+fox+recovery+plan&rlz=1C1FLDB_enUS697US697&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi56vqSjdzZAhVHqVQKHdmKBsQQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=940#imgrc=2pE18X9gJnK3cM:

(4) https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Keep-Me-Wild/Kit-Fox

(5) https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1FLDB_enUS697US697&biw=1920&bih=940&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=gt2gWtYTx__SAuiAppgN&q=recovery+plan&oq=recovery+plan&gs_l=psy-ab.3...7773.7773.0.8035.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.0.0....0.SxeazM-Jzc4#imgrc=B3XERKeODNRpaM:

(6) https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1FLDB_enUS697US697&biw=1920&bih=940&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=it2gWsK3L8KB0wLQ-p-IDg&q=what+to+do&oq=what+to+do&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.2086.3091.0.3298.10.9.0.1.1.0.132.771.7j2.9.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.10.773...0i67k1.0.p01Qxvmel5o#imgrc=H5RKXCFu4FyV-M: