No more at risk! Three rare Channel island fox subspecies removed from endangered list

New Delhi: Santa Cruz island is home to a magical creature called the island fox that were on the verge of extinction a decade ago. Almost 90% of the total fox population were destroyed by the chaotic island ecosystem. But, thanks to Nature Conservancy, these adorable fox's population are on rise today. Recently, United States has de-listed three subspecies -the San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Island fox- from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

During 1990's, aggressive use of pesticides killed large number of bald eagles on islands. Quickly, fish-loving bald eagles were replaced by Golden eagles, which prey on foxes thereby leading to numerous fox deaths in the region.

Nature Conservancy biologist Christine Boser said that the agency took strong steps against the invasive species that are causing major harm to the fox population. The agency gave new vaccination to the remaining population and also started captive rearing. Due to agency's diligent work, fox number rebounded.

There are now about 700 of them on San Miguel island, 1,200 on Santa Rosa island and 2,100 on Santa Cruz, according to The Guardian. Ecologists claim that the rebounding of rare fox population is a crucial victory of wildlife conservation in the era of mass extinction.