SECOND PLACE : S W I F T F O X
Keep the Swifts Safe and Sound By Laura MacInnes-Rae
For most Canadians, as September approaches it means a change in season. However if you are an Earth Ranger member then you know that September means the launch of new protection projects for threatened animals in Canada. Founded in 2001, the Canadian kids’ conservation organization Earth Rangers actively exists to educate and execute projects to protect animals that are at risk and their futures. Canada is proud to be home to thousands of species however many are becoming endangered. Just 35 years ago, swift foxes disappeared from due to habitat loss. Though reintroduced in the 1980’s, the swift fox is under Earth Ranger’s critical watch as Alberta and Saskatchewan have recently become subject to prairie habitat loss.
September 2014 brought to the forefront the Western screech owl, bobolink, Eastern wolf and the swift fox to the Earth Rangers campaign. The annual Bring Back the Wild campaign, works on individualizing its projects to suit the needs of each threatened species of focus. Earth Rangers is excited to announce its protection project plans for the swift fox.
The swift fox vulpes velox is a small fox that inhabits southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. These speedy, tan-coloured omnivores are territorial and therefore thrive in open prairie locations where they have space to roam and run freely. Typically their lifespan is about 3-6 years in the wild. Their population is steadily decreasing from both natural and unnatural factors.
Agricultural development has become a large concern because it decreases the areas of open prairie. According to recent studies, it is estimated that at least 80% of Western Canada prairie land has disappeared due to agricultural practice. The small population of swift foxes resulted in a decision to increase translocation. If a diseased US swift fox mates with a fox from another population, it increases the occurrence of disease spreading across borders. It has been seventeen years since the last translocation project. The swift fox populations have not been monitored for more than four years, so Earth Rangers’ protection plan aims to gain more data to learn more about the swift fox’s behavior and ultimately eliminate its threatened status. Today, the swift fox faces more than just habitat loss and potential disease, hunting and poisoning by humans is still prevalent as well. 2
Earth Rangers is using its close ties with the Calgary Zoo to gain further data about the lifestyle of the swift fox in order to modify its protection plan accordingly. This data will be accumulated through two different methods of camera trapping, (a camera with a motion sensor often used to obtain data about animals). Never before has camera trap surveying taken place in summer months in Canada; therefore this opportunity will increase the amount of data available to analyze the swift fox. Reconyx motion sensor cameras will be positioned across 3,000km of prairie land and the cameras will be moved every three days to new positions for accuracy. This surveying project offers additional data to use in forming conclusions about the populations and habits of the swift fox. Through this study, researchers will be able to compare the swift foxes’ movement and monitor changes in their location throughout the seasons.
The conservation of the swift fox depends on the proactive efforts of informed organizations. The more data Earth Rangers can gain about the habits of the swift fox, the more knowledge can be applied to future protection measures on Canadian soil. This year, Earth Rangers is excited to announce the launch of their new conservation project for the swift fox but they need your help!