The mountain fox is listed as highly threatened on the national red list. This means that the fox is in danger of disappearing from our nature. However, persistent efforts have been made to preserve the population over the past 15 years. Now it can finally look like the work is bearing fruit. All over Norway, 38 litters have been registered so far this summer, which in total have produced at least 141 puppies. – Things are going really well for the mountain fox. In the last ten years, a total of 416 litters have been born, says senior researcher Nina E. Eide at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA). This year’s litter of puppies is somewhat fewer than last year, when 189 mountain foxes were born. There are also fewer than the record year 2022, when a total of 354 puppies were documented in Norway. These are fluctuations that are completely natural, according to the researcher. – It is as expected, and is connected to the fact that the arctic fox eats small rodents that have natural fluctuations. This arctic fox puppy was born on Sæterfjellet this summer. It has been through a health check and has been earmarked. Next winter, it will be released to help strengthen the population of one of Norway’s most endangered mammals. Photo: NINA Good year in Nordland In Nordland alone, at least 14 litters have been registered, which have produced around 60 puppies at Saltfjellet, Junkeren and Børgefjell. – This means that it is a good year in Nordland, says the regional specialist for arctic foxes in the State Nature Inspectorate (SNO), Thomas Johansen. According to Johansen, each litter has had between two and eight puppies. See table with national overview further down in the case. A wildlife camera on Saltfjellet in Nordland captured these puppies in July this year. Photo: Statens Naturoppsyn Almost exterminated by fur hunting 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 mountain fox was protected in 1930, the number declined even more in the following years. It was probably due to the fact that the stocks were no longer viable at the time of conservation. For over 30 years, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and SNO have monitored the arctic fox on behalf of the Norwegian Environment Agency. In addition, several measures are implemented to preserve the arctic fox. Senior researcher Nina Elisabeth Eide at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA). Photo: Odd Arne Olderbakk / news Puppies are released from the breeding program for arctic foxes, which is run by NINA and SNO. Those who work with the follow-up of over 130 automatic feeders that are outside in various mountain areas in Norway. Nina E. Eide has worked with arctic foxes since 1996 and is happy that the population is on the rise. – It is good to see that things are going in the right direction. It is clear that it is motivating, even if the road here has been a bit long. But all the young people in the last ten years confirm that we have done something right. Despite the fact that the arctic fox receives supplementary feeding, it is still dependent on small rodents, such as the lemming. The geographical distribution of litters and activity of arctic foxes can almost always be linked to local occurrences of small rodents. This means few and small litters of arctic foxes in a low year for small rodents, while there are many and large litters in years with a lot of small rodents. – Based on what we have seen of small rodents this year, we expect the most activity south of the Arctic Circle, says researcher Nina E. Eide. This crab is high on the menu for the mountain foxes. Photo: Lars Olav Handeland When it is not a lemming year, the adult foxes tend to prioritize surviving on their own. However, if there is a lot of litter, the arctic fox often has more pups, because the supply of food is greater, explains Thomas Johansen, regional specialist for arctic foxes in SNO. Will take 10–15 years Although the researchers are satisfied with this year’s litter of puppies, the population is still below what is considered to be viable in the long term. It will probably take approximately 10 to 15 years before the species reaches a viable population, if growth continues at the same rate as now. It is most critical for the arctic fox in the north. There is a long distance between Saltfjellet-Junkeren/Vindelfjällen-Arjeplog to the Varanger Peninsula in the east of Finnmark, and the six populations that could link these more closely together are all small. – Through the continuation of measures, we shall achieve a viable population, which can manage itself without help from us. That is the whole aim of the conservation work, says Nina Eide. Last year, 39 arctic fox litters were documented in Norway with a total of 189 puppies. It was a decrease from the record year 2022, when a total of 354 puppies distributed among 72 litters were registered. Photo: Anne Mathilde Thierry / NINA Hunting and climate change Today, the Norwegian Environment Agency spends just over 10 million a year on conservation of arctic foxes. – What makes the arctic fox so vulnerable even today? – What the arctic fox is exposed to is caused by us humans. Climate change threatens the populations of small rodents, which are food for the mountain fox. Modern land use results in an increased incidence of red foxes, which are the mountain fox’s most important competitor, says Nina E. Eide. She mentions cottagers who put out food for the fox, and wind farms that take the lives of birds, which become a stable food source for the red fox. This contributes to the red fox establishing itself in the mountain fox’s areas, she explains. – Keep your distance Thomas Johansen encourages hikers to keep their distance as too much human activity can also disturb the arctic fox. – A good rule of thumb is that if the arctic fox warns by barking, then you have come too close. Then you just have to withdraw from it and leave it. – They tolerate a lot, but if there is repeated activity, they may have to move the puppies, and then they are very vulnerable. At the same time, Johansen reminds dog owners to comply with the leash requirement. – There is a good reason why it exists. Many dogs are apparently kind until they come into contact with a wild animal. Only then do you see that they actually have a hunting instinct, which you may not necessarily have noticed before. Thomas Johansen in the State Nature Inspectorate in Troms releases a arctic fox in northern Troms Photo: Rune Nordgård Andreassen / news Published 19.08.2024, at 21.25
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The number of mountain foxes is increasing – 141 mountain fox puppies born this year – news Nordland
