DOCSLIB.ORG

Management of the Arctic Fox (Vulpes Lagopus): Implementation of International and National Obligations in Iceland and Svalbard

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Management of the Arctic Fox (Vulpes Lagopus): Implementation of International and National Obligations in Iceland and Svalbard Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard Matthias Kühn Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Iceland 2015 Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard Matthias Kühn 60 ECTS thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of a Magister Scientiarum degree in Environment and Natural Resources Advisor(s) Mariana Tamayo Ester Rut Unnsteinsdóttir Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences Environment and Natural Resources University of Iceland Reykjavík, September 2015 Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard Arctic fox management in Iceland and Svalbard 60 ECTS thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of a Magister Scientiarum degree in Environment and Natural Resources Copyright © 2015 Matthias Kühn All rights reserved Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences Environment and Natural Resources University of Iceland Sturlugata 7 IS-101 Reykjavík Iceland Telephone: 525 4000 Bibliographic information: Kühn, M., 2015, Management of the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus): Implementation of international and national obligations in Iceland and Svalbard, Master’s thesis, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, pp. xii + 48. Printing: Háskólaprent Reykjavík, Iceland, September 2015 Abstract The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is Iceland’s only native terrestrial mammal and an important species in Icelandic ecosystems. However, this species has long been regarded as a vermin in Iceland. Major changes in Iceland’s environmental policies in the 1990s awarded, for the first time, a protection status to the arctic fox. Svalbard’s arctic fox population is considered viable and stable and the species, one of the few top predators in the arctic, is equally important to Svalbard’s ecosystems. The species gained the status of a priority species in Svalbard in the 1990s and is regarded as one of the main indicators for the state of the environment in Svalbard. This study reviews the historical background of arctic fox hunting in Iceland and Svalbard, and focuses on the development of the current management regimes for the species. Further, it examines the effect of international commitments on national legislations and management of arctic foxes in Iceland and Svalbard, and provides recommendations to further protect this species. The study shows that the implementation process of international obligations into national legislations in Iceland and Svalbard has ushered major changes in the protection of the arctic fox. Further, the comparison of Iceland and Svalbard represents a good example to develop management strategies for other arctic islands with arctic fox populations to promote the overall long- term survival of the species on a global scale. This study provides comprehensive legislative and management recommendations to complement Iceland’s enormous transformation and achievements towards protecting its arctic fox population. Iceland serves as an example of a sea ice free arctic fox population and can, hence, contribute to potential management strategies on other arctic islands that will become free of sea ice in the future due to climate change. Den höchsten Frieden findet der, der schützt, was atmet, schützt, was lebt. (Buddha) Table of Contents List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... ix! Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. xi! 1! Management of the arctic fox in Svalbard ................................................................... 1! 1.1! Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1! 1.2! Historical Overview ................................................................................................. 3! 1.2.1! The early history of Svalbard from 1596 to 1700 .......................................... 3! 1.2.2! Russian overwintering trapping from 1700 to 1852 ...................................... 3! 1.2.3! Norwegian overwintering trapping from 1795 to 1941 ................................. 4! 1.3! The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 and the Svalbard Act of 1925 ................................... 6! 1.4! Environmental protection in the 1970s .................................................................... 8! 1.5! Svalbard’s Environmental Protection Act and the status quo ................................. 9! 1.6! Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 12! 1.7! References .............................................................................................................. 14! 2! Management of the arctic fox in Iceland .................................................................... 19! 2.1! Introduction ............................................................................................................ 19! 2.2! Historical Overview ............................................................................................... 21! 2.2.1! Management of the arctic fox from 930 to 1994 ......................................... 21! 2.2.2! The new legislations of 1994 and the Nature Conservation Act ................. 24! 2.3! International obligations ........................................................................................ 27! 2.4! Planned improvements of current legislations ....................................................... 29! 2.5! Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 30! 2.6! References .............................................................................................................. 32! 3! Comparison of arctic fox management in Iceland and Svalbard ............................. 37! 3.1! Introduction ............................................................................................................ 37! 3.2! Arctic fox management in Iceland and Svalbard ................................................... 38! 3.3! Regulatory and legislative recommendations ........................................................ 40! 3.4! Management recommendations ............................................................................. 41! 3.4.1! Examination of damage to livestock ............................................................ 41! 3.4.2! Metapopulation/Migration studies ............................................................... 43! 3.4.3! Emerald Network ......................................................................................... 43! 3.4.4! Minimum viable population (MVP) ............................................................ 44! 3.5! Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 44! 3.6! References .............................................................................................................. 46! vii viii List of Tables Table 1.1 Summary of the number of hunted arctic foxes in Svalbard from 1596 to 1971 .................................................................................................................... 7! Table 1.2 National and international legislative changes regarding environmental protection in Svalbard from 1925 to the present .............................................. 11! Table 2.1 Legislation changes from 930 to 2013 regarding the management of arctic foxes in Iceland ................................................................................................. 28! ix x Acknowledgements Many great things have come along my way while preparing this thesis. Without the kind support of many individuals it would not have been such a meaningful and important time for me. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of them. First of all, I would like to thank the University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) in Reykjavík for giving me the opportunity to join the interdisciplinary Master’s program ‘Environment and Natural Resources (M.Sc./M.A.)’. The two years in Iceland truly changed my life and inspired me greatly to follow my inner visions to make a difference in our world. Further, I like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to my supervisors Mariana Lucía Tamayo (University of Iceland) and Ester Rut Unnsteinsdóttir (Icelandic Institute of Natural History) for their guidance and support throughout the whole two years of my Master´s studies in Iceland. Besides my supervisors, I would also like to thank Kristinn Haukur Skarphðeðinnsson (Icelandic Institute of Natural History) for being a supportive opponent and for his final ideas of improving the thesis. A special thanks goes to Trausti Baldursson from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for pointing out where to find valuable information about the status of Iceland´s legislations. I would also like to show my gratitude to Eva Fuglei (Norwegian Polar Institute) and Bjarte Benberg (Governor of Svalbard) for providing me with data and comprehensive information for my thesis. Further, I am very grateful to Sandra Lai (Université du Québec) for her invaluable advice and continuous support throughout the last two years. I also take this opportunity to express my
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Respiratory Turbinates of Canids and Felids: a Quantitative Comparison
    J. Zool., Lond. (2004) 264, 281–293 C 2004 The Zoological Society of London Printed in the United Kingdom DOI:10.1017/S0952836904005771 Respiratory turbinates of canids and felids: a quantitative comparison Blaire Van Valkenburgh1*, Jessica Theodor 2, Anthony Friscia1, Ari Pollack1 and Timothy Rowe3 1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, U.S.A. 2 Department of Geology, Illinois State Museum, 1011 East Ash Street, Springfield, IL 62703, U.S.A. 3 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, U.S.A. (Accepted 31 March 2004) Abstract The respiratory turbinates of mammals are complex bony plates within the nasal chamber that are covered with moist epithelium and provide an extensive surface area for the exchange of heat and water. Given their functional importance, maxilloturbinate size and structure are expected to vary predictably among species adapted to different environments. Here the first quantitative analysis is provided of maxilloturbinate structure based on high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scans of the skulls of eight canid and seven felid species. The key parameters examined were the density of the maxilloturbinate bones within the nasal chamber and how that density varied along the air pathway. In both canids and felids, total maxilloturbinate chamber volume and bone volume increased with body size, with canids having c. 1.5–2.0 times the volume of maxilloturbinate than felids of similar size. In all species, the volume of the maxilloturbinates varies from rostral to caudal, with the peak volume occurring approximately midway, close to where airway cross-sectional area is greatest.
    [Show full text]
  • Trapping Regulations You May Trap Wildlife for Subsistence Uses Only Within the Seasons and Harvest Limits in These Unit Trapping Regulations
    Trapping Regulations You may trap wildlife for subsistence uses only within the seasons and harvest limits in these unit trapping regulations. Trapping wildlife out of season or in excess of harvest limits for subsistence uses is illegal and prohibited. However, you may trap unclassified wildlife (such as all squirrel and marmot species) in all units, without harvest limits, from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2016. Subsistence Trapping Restrictions When taking wildlife for subsistence purposes, ● Take (or assist in the taking of) furbearers by firearm trappers may not: before 3:00 a.m. on the day following the day on which airborne travel occurred. This does not apply to a ● Disturb or destroy a den (except any muskrat pushup trapper using a firearm to dispatch furbearers caught in or feeding house that may be disturbed in the course of a trap or snare. trapping). ● Use a net or fish trap (except a blackfish or fyke trap). ● Disturb or destroy any beaver house. ● Use a firearm other than a shotgun, muzzle-loaded ● Take beaver by any means other than a steel trap or rifle, rifle or pistol using center-firing cartridges, for the snare, except certain times of the year when firearms taking of a wolf or wolverine, except that: may be used to take beaver in Units 9, 12, 17, 18, 20E, ■ You may use a firearm that shoots rimfire 21E, 22 and 23. See Unit-specific regulations. cartridges to take wolf and wolverine under a ● Under a trapping license, take a free-ranging furbearer trapping license. You may sell the raw fur or tanned with a firearm on NPS lands.
    [Show full text]
  • Region Building and Identity Formation in the Baltic Sea Region
    IJIS Volume 3 REGION BUILDING AND IDENTITY FORMATION IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION ∗ Imke Schäfer Abstract This paper examines the concept of “new region building” in the Baltic Sea region with emphasis on the construction of a collective “Baltic” identity. Possible implications of these processes on Russia as a non-EU member state are discussed. Region building around the Baltic Sea is conceptualised within the framework of social constructivism, and a connection between region building and identity formation is established. Furthermore, an attempt is made to shed light on the way in which a “Baltic identity” is promoted in the region. By means of a short discourse analysis, certain characteristics of the Baltic Sea region are discovered that are promoted as the basis for a regional identity by various regional actors. The impact of these characteristics on relations between Russia, the EU and the other Baltic Sea states are examined and conclusions are drawn in relation to the region building processes in the Baltic Sea area. INTRODUCTION Cooperation in the Baltic Sea region (BSR) has prospered since the independence of the Baltic States in the beginning of the 1990s. Several programmes and initiatives have been established, such as the Northern Dimension initiative (ND), the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) or the Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC). The EU actively supports cooperation in this region. In 1997, at the Luxembourg European Council, Finland’s Northern Dimension initiative (ND) was recognized as part of the
    [Show full text]
  • Russia and Siberia: the Beginning of the Penetration of Russian People Into Siberia, the Campaign of Ataman Yermak and It’S Consequences
    The Aoyama Journal of International Politics, Economics and Communication, No. 106, May 2021 CCCCCCCCC Article CCCCCCCCC Russia and Siberia: The Beginning of the Penetration of Russian People into Siberia, the Campaign of Ataman Yermak and it’s Consequences Aleksandr A. Brodnikov* Petr E. Podalko** The penetration of the Russian people into Siberia probably began more than a thousand years ago. Old Russian chronicles mention that already in the 11th century, the northwestern part of Siberia, then known as Yugra1), was a “volost”2) of the Novgorod Land3). The Novgorod ush- * Associate Professor, Novosibirsk State University ** Professor, Aoyama Gakuin University 1) Initially, Yugra was the name of the territory between the mouth of the river Pechora and the Ural Mountains, where the Finno-Ugric tribes historically lived. Gradually, with the advancement of the Russian people to the East, this territorial name spread across the north of Western Siberia to the river Taz. Since 2003, Yugra has been part of the offi cial name of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug: Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug—Yugra. 2) Volost—from the Old Russian “power, country, district”—means here the territo- rial-administrative unit of the aboriginal population with the most authoritative leader, the chief, from whom a certain amount of furs was collected. 3) Novgorod Land (literally “New City”) refers to a land, also known as “Gospodin (Lord) Veliky (Great) Novgorod”, or “Novgorod Republic”, with its administrative center in Veliky Novgorod, which had from the 10th century a tendency towards autonomy from Kiev, the capital of Ancient Kievan Rus. From the end of the 11th century, Novgorod de-facto became an independent city-state that subdued the entire north of Eastern Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Drydocks World Dubai
    G<CK75G=B;H<9@5H9GH89J9@CDA9BHG=BA5F=B9A5=BH9B5B79<5F8K5F9 GC:HK5F95B8H97<BC@C;=9G SEPTEMBER 2012 Exclusive interview: Drydocks World Dubai Gas turbines Extend maintenance intervals without affecting performance How to maintain climate specialist vessels during operation Australian Navy A new service regime to keep the fleet afloat Offshore wind farms Overcoming logistic challenges C ICEBREAKERS Climate specialist vessels Break the ice It’s not just the harsh weather that makes it difficult to protect and maintain climate specialist vessels Neil Jones, Marine Maintenance Technology International aintaining icebreaking and ice strengthened vessels does, as you might expect, have its Mchallenges. For a start, the nature of the way they operate subjects them to a huge amount of vibration, not to mention the impact of constantly operating in harsh weather. But conversely, as Albert Hagander, technical manager of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s Shipping Management Department, points out, there is actually a weather-related advantage in that the vessels are not usually in service during the summer. “You really can’t do much when they’re in service simply because of the weather conditions, often with ice on deck,” he points out. “In the summer, it’s often a better situation than with a conventional vessel, as you have the time to work on them while they’re alongside the dock or even in dry dock.” The Administration operates four big icebreakers plus a slightly smaller one for Lake Vänern that supplements the capability during the early or late season. That the icebreakers are vital can be seen from the fact that 95% of Swedish export/import trade is seaborne.
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehension-Polar-Creatures
    Polar Creatures The North and South Poles are the coldest places on Earth. The Arctic is close to the North Pole while the Antarctic is near the South Pole. This is a polar This is a walrus. It eats fish and sea bear. It likes to creatures such as eat seals and clams. A walrus fish. It has a has two really thick furry long teeth called coat to keep tusks which are warm and big paws to help it used as hooks walk on the snow. to pull it out of the water. This is an arctic fox. Its This is a snowy owl. brown coat turns It has white white in the feathers so that it winter. Arctic cannot be seen. It foxes eat birds, swoops down to fish, small mammals grab hares, mice or and eggs. It has a thick lemmings in its claws fur coat to stay warm. for food. classroomsecrets.com © Classroom Secrets Limited 2015 Comprehension – Polar Creatures – 1a – Beginner Polar Creatures Complete this table with . (AF2) Name of Eats plants or Eats fish or sea Eats birds or Eats mammals creature fruit creatures eggs polar bear walrus snowy owl arctic fox Why has the writer put the information in boxes? (AF4) What does the walrus use to help it get out of the water? (AF2) Why do you think that the arctic fox turns white in the winter? (AF3) classroomsecrets.com © Classroom Secrets Limited 2015 Comprehension – Polar Creatures – 1a – Beginner Polar Creatures Complete this table with . (AF2) Name of Eats plants or Eats fish or sea Eats birds or Eats mammals creature fruit creatures eggs polar bear walrus snowy owl arctic fox Why has the writer put the information in boxes? (AF4) To make it easier to read.
    [Show full text]
  • Seabird Harvest in Iceland Aever Petersen, the Icelandic Institute of Natural History
    CAFF Technical Report No. 16 September 2008 SEABIRD HARVEST IN THE ARCTIC CAFFs CIRCUMPOLAR SEABIRD GROUP Acknowledgements CAFF Designated Agencies: • Directorate for Nature Management, Trondheim, Norway • Environment Canada, Ottawa, Canada • Faroese Museum of Natural History, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands (Kingdom of Denmark) • Finnish Ministry of the Environment, Helsinki, Finland • Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Reykjavik, Iceland • Ministry of the Environment and Nature, Greenland Homerule, Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark) • Russian Federation Ministry of Natural Resources, Moscow, Russia • Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm, Sweden • United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska This publication should be cited as: Merkel, F. and Barry, T. (eds.) 2008. Seabird harvest in the Arctic. CAFF International Secretariat, Circumpolar Seabird Group (CBird), CAFF Technical Report No. 16. Cover photo (F. Merkel): Thick-billed murres, Saunders Island, Qaanaaq, Greenland. For more information please contact: CAFF International Secretariat Borgir, Nordurslod 600 Akureyri, Iceland Phone: +354 462-3350 Fax: +354 462-3390 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.caff.is ___ CAFF Designated Area Editing: Flemming Merkel and Tom Barry Design & Layout: Tom Barry Seabird Harvest in the Arctic Prepared by the CIRCUMPOLAR SEABIRD GROUP (CBird) CAFF Technical Report No. 16 September 2008 List of Contributors Aever Petersen John W. Chardine The Icelandic Institute of Natural History Wildlife Research Division Hlemmur 3, P.O. Box 5320 Environment Canada IS-125 Reykjavik, ICELAND P.O. Box 6227 Email: [email protected], Tel: +354 5 900 500 Sackville, NB E4L 4K2 CANADA Bergur Olsen Email: [email protected], Tel: +1-506-364-5046 Faroese Fisheries Laboratory Nóatún 1, P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Raccoon Dog Misrepresentation Continues Investigation Results: Fall/Winter 2007
    Raccoon Dog Misrepresentation Continues Investigation Results: Fall/Winter 2007 Published March 18, 2008 Summary In the fall and winter of 2007, investigators from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) purchased and tested fur-trimmed jackets from some of the largest names in fashion. Seven jackets were found to contain real fur despite being advertised or labeled as faux fur, and these results were publicized on December 20, 2007. An additional six jackets— detailed in the chart below—were found to be falsely advertised or mislabeled as the wrong species—or simply as “fur.” Retailers and brand names associated with these jackets include Sears, Bluefly, Dillard’s, Eluxury.com, Caché, Dr. Jay’s, and Juicy Couture. Four of the jackets contain raccoon dog fur. Background December 2007: The HSUS publicizes findings that seven fur-trimmed garments purchased from major retailers, and advertised or labeled as faux fur, in fact contain real fur from raccoon dogs, raccoons, or rabbits. Retailers and brand names associated with these jackets include Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s, Andrew Marc, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus and Burberry. March 2007: Andrew Marc, Dillard’s, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, and seven other major retailers and designers were named by The HSUS in a petition filed before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) seeking enforcement actions for violations of the Fur Products Labeling Act. The petition remains pending before the FTC. February 2007: The Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act—H.R. 891—is introduced by Reps. Jim Moran (D- Va.) and Michael Ferguson (R-N.J.).
    [Show full text]
  • The Northern Routeing in the Arctic Sea and Russian History
    講演(02) The Northern Routeing in the Arctic Sea and Russian History Leonid M. Mitnik V.I. Il'ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute FEB RAS 690041 Vladivostok, Russia, e-mail: [email protected] “History is a lantern to the future, which shines to us from the past” (V.О. Klyuchevskiy, 1841-1911) “The history of the exploration of the North is full of heroic spirit and tragedy, voyages and expeditions that were accompanied with the geographical discoveries, the history of scientific studies, organization of a system of stationary and non-stationary observations, and creation of the scientific–technical support service for the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a history of a fierce battle against the incredibly severe conditions of the Arctic”. The motivation to navigate the Northeast Passage was initially economic. In Russia the idea of a possible seaway connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific was first put forward by the diplomat Gerasimov in 1525. However, Russian settlers and traders on the coasts of the White Sea, the Pomors, had been exploring parts of the route as early as the 11th century. By the 17th century they established a continuous sea route from Arkhangelsk as far east as the mouth of Yenisey. This route, known as Mangazeya seaway, after its eastern terminus, the trade depot of Mangazeya, was an early precursor to the Northern Sea Route. Western parts of the passage were simultaneously being explored by Northern European countries, looking for an alternative seaway to China and India. Although these expeditions failed, new coasts and islands were discovered. Most notable is the 1596 expedition led by Dutch navigator Willem Barentz who discovered Spitsbergen and Bear Island and rounded the north of Novaya Zemlya.
    [Show full text]
  • Trapper Questionnaire, Statewide Annual Report, 1 July 1999-30
    Alaska DePartment of fish and Game Division of Wildlife Conservation Statewide Annual RePort 1 July 1999 - 30 June 2000 TRAPPER QUESTIONNAIRE Jackie KePhart Gerhard Kraus June 2001 CODE OF ETHICS A TRAPPER'S RESPONSIBILITY 1. Respect other trappers' grounds particularly brushed, maintained trap lines with a history ofuse. 2. Check traps regularly. 3. Promote trapping methods that will reduce the possibility ofcatching nontarget animals. 4. Obtain landowner's permission before trapping on private property. 5. Know and use proper releasing and killing methods. 6. Develop set location methods to prevent losses. 7. Trap in the most humane way possible. 8. Properly dispose of animal carcasses. 9. Concentrate trapping in areas where animals are overabundant for the supporting habitat. 10. Promptly report the presence ofdiseased animals to wildlife authorities. 11 . Assist landowners who are having problems with predators and other furbearers that have become a nuisance. 12. Support and help train new trappers in trapping ethics, methods and means, conservation, fur handling and marketing. 13. Obey al1 trapping regulations and support strict enforcement by reporting violations. 14. Support and promote sound furbearer management. This code ofethics was copied from the Alaska Trappers Manual. The manual was created through a joint effort between the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Alaska Trappers Association. The manual is available in Alaska book stores and from the Alaska Trappers Association for approximately $20.00. STATE OF ALASKA Tony Knowles, Governor DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME Frank Rue, Commissioner DMSION OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION Wayne L. Regelin, Director Persons intending to cite this material should receive permission from the author(s) and/or the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
    [Show full text]
  • Arkhangelsk Province and Northern Norway in 1917–1920: Foreign Property and Capital After the October Revolution of 1917
    Arkhangelsk Province and Northern Norway in 1917–1920: Foreign Property and Capital after the October Revolution of 1917 Tatyana Troshina and Ekaterina Kotlova (Northern [Arctic] Federal University, Arkhangelsk) n the large body of work on Russian-Norwegian relations in the North, much Ihas been written about border issues between the two countries, Russian set- tlements in eastern Finnmark, northern fisheries, the Pomor trade, and numer- ous other topics. Contact between Russia and Norway, and between northern Russia and northern Norway, has always been of interest to historians in both countries. Nevertheless, some issues have still not been sufficiently studied, or studied from only one perspective. Such issues include events related to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The revolutionary period in Russia led to considerable changes in Norwegian-Russian relations. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were cut off between 1917 and 1924. Some Norwegians stayed in the Russian North after 1917. Many of them worked for Norwegian or international busi- ness in the area and did not leave until the situation became critical for them and their families. In this article, we present some sources that highlight the story of Norwegians and citizens of other northern countries in Arkhangelsk province, and the situation with their property after 1917. The data is obtained from documents contained in archives in Arkhangelsk and Moscow. The aim of the study is to reconstruct the life of foreigners in the Russian North during the revolutionary and postrevolutionary period through the prism of the political, economic, and cultural transformations that took place This study was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant No.18-09- 00237.
    [Show full text]
  • Red Fox: Wildlife Notebook Series
    Red Fox The red fox (Vulpes vulpes), is the subject of many stories, songs, fables, and parables. Its flashy good looks and its ability to live close to people and their varied activities have undoubtedly contributed to this notoriety. Probably a more important reason is the fox's reputation for cunning and intelligence. Several English expressions testify to the fox's wily mind: “sly as a fox,” “foxy,” “outfoxed,” and “crazy as a fox.” Actually, the red fox has well developed senses of sight, smell, and hearing, which are responsible for much of its reputation. Distribution: The red fox is common in most of northern North America. It is found throughout Alaska, except for some of the islands of Southeast Alaska and the western Aleutians and is rare in Prince William Sound. It is native to Kodiak Island but is an introduced animal on many islands in the state as a result of fox farming operations in the early 1900s. Red fox populations in Southeast Alaska are sparse, but the animal is found in the Taku and Stikine river valleys and the Mendenhall Flats. Red foxes have also been seen on Douglas Island near Juneau. The fox prefers broken country, extensive lowland marshes, and crisscrossed hills and draws. It is most abundant south of the arctic tundra. It is also present in tundra regions, which it shares with the Arctic fox. Where the ranges of the two species overlap, the red fox is dominant. In these areas, red foxes have been observed digging white (Arctic) foxes from their dens and killing them.
    [Show full text]