GROWING: Arctic fox pups on the Varanger Peninsula, where the number of pups has almost tripled compared to last year. Photo: Wildlife camera, University of Tromsø
Six years ago the mountain fox was almost extinct on the Varanger Peninsula. In 2023, a record number of puppies were born there.
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Only two adult arctic foxes were observed on the Varanger Peninsula in Finnmark in 2017, and the researchers then feared that the species would disappear from the area.
In the winter of 2018, the first puppies from the Breeding program were released, and in the same year a litter of three puppies saw the light of day. Since then, the number of births has increased sharply.
– There is hope again for the species, which is assessed as highly threatened on the red list, writes the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA).
Because in 2023, a total of 79 arctic fox pups were born on the Varanger Peninsula, divided into 13 litters. This is a record, according to the institute.
– It’s going surprisingly well. Several of this year’s litters were relatively large, and the DNA analyzes also confirm that the survival of puppies born last year is good. The fact that the foxes have puppies every year, and not just in years with a lot of small rodents, is very positive. It provides a better balance between younger and older foxes in the sub-population, which makes it more hardy and viable, says senior researcher Nina Elisabeth Eide at NINA.
RESEARCHER: 79 arctic fox pups were born on the Varanger Peninsula in 2023. Here, four of them are out checking their surroundings. Photo: Wildlife camera, University of Tromsø
More work to come
There is still no reason to declare the endangered species as endangered yet.
– Although things are getting better for the arctic fox in the north, it is important to emphasize that arctic fox populations are still critically low here. All subpopulations between the Varanger Peninsula and Saltfjellet house only two or three litters, emphasizes Eide, and continues:
– Going forward, it will be important to work on increasing the number of mountain foxes in all these sub-populations and link them more closely together. Only then can the arctic fox’s long-term survival be ensured, says Eide.
CAMOUFLAGE: The white winter fur of this mountain fox on the Varanger Peninsula hides it well. Photo: Kristine Ulvund, NINA
Still in the red
Overall, the number of litters decreased in 2023 compared to the record year 2022, when 72 litters with a total of 354 puppies were documented in Norway.
In 2023, 39 litters were documented in Norway, with a total of 189 puppies.
– The geographical distribution of the litters correlates well with observed occurrences of small rodents. It was a clear peak year in the far north, with a high density of mice and occasional occurrence of the lemen, while south of Saltfjellet it was a marked trough for small rodents, as far south as Hardangervidda, says Eide.
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The mountain fox is one of our most endangered mammals, and already at the beginning of the 20th century it was almost extinct due to fur hunting.
Although the arctic fox was protected in 1930, its numbers continued to decline. It was probably due to the fact that the stocks were already too small and were no longer viable at the time of conservation.
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Published: 27.12.23 at 09:53
2023-12-27 08:53:43
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