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For Immediate Release
Rare swift foxes are reintroduced on Blackfeet Indian Reservation
BLACKFEET RESERVATION, Mont. -- Defenders of Wildlife today announced that 20 imperiled swift foxes will be reintroduced Sunday on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. The foxes are being restored to the region through a unique partnership between Defenders of Wildlife, the Blackfeet Nation and the Cochrane Ecological Institute (CEI). CEI, the world's only swift fox captive- breeding facility, is providing the foxes; the Blackfeet Nation is providing the site and assisting with the reintroduction; and Defenders of Wildlife coordinates the project and funds the release and tribal biologists to monitor the foxes. The goal of the project is to establishing a self- sustaining population of swift foxes.
"It is very encouraging to know that these foxes are once again roaming the grasslands where they belong," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders. "The recovery of rare species nationwide depends on innovative partnerships such as this."
A total of 117 swift foxes will have been released since the first release in 1998. The reintroduced foxes have produced litters every year and tracking data indicates excellent survivorship of radio-collared individuals.
"The swift fox is back in Montana, thanks to the Blackfeet people and some very committed individuals," said Minette Johnson, regional field representative for Defenders.
The swift fox was once common on the Blackfeet Reservation and throughout Montana. When Lewis and Clark passed through the area in 1806, they reported swift foxes at the confluence of the Two Medicine and Marias Rivers, fourteen miles from the site where the foxes are now being released. But the last confirmed trapping of a swift fox in Montana occurred in 1953 and the species was declared extinct in the state in 1969. The fox's disappearance was a result of numerous factors, including incidental poisoning by bait set out for wolves and coyotes, trapping, habitat loss to agriculture, and loss of food sources like prairie dogs and ground squirrels as part of federal eradication campaigns.
Named for its speediness, the swift fox is one of North America's smallest canids, weighing an average of 5 pounds and measuring 12 inches in height and 31 inches in length. It is buffy-gray along its back, with yellowish tan across its sides and legs. The swift fox is an opportunistic predator feeding on ground squirrels and other small mammals, grasshoppers, and berries.
The foxes have received a warm reception from the community on the Blackfeet Reservation.
"The swift fox, 'Senopah,' has great meaning for the Blackfeet people. We are glad to welcome them home," noted Gayle Skunkcap, director of the Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department.
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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading non-profit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 430,000 members and supporters - 100,000 of whom are in California - Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, please visit www.defenders.org.
