Conservationists are celebrating a first-time achievement that could play a major role in safeguarding the future of the exceedingly rare and reclusive Sierra Nevada red fox.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife broke the news on its account on the social platform X (@CaliforniaDFW), alongside photos of the animal it'd tracked down.
Check this out! CDFW biologists captured & GPS-collared an elusive Sierra Nevada Red Fox in the southern Sierra for the first time ever! Very little is known about this rare species & scientists are excited to learn more through tracking its movement. pic.twitter.com/zqxzsq6OKN
— California Department of Fish and Wildlife (@CaliforniaDFW) February 10, 2026
"CDFW biologists captured & GPS-collared an elusive Sierra Nevada Red Fox in the southern Sierra for the first time ever!" it announced. "Very little is known about this rare species & scientists are excited to learn more through tracking its movement."
The Los Angeles Times contextualized the news by pointing out that, as recently as 2010, researchers were unsure whether the species even still existed. They believe that in the 1900s, trappers and hunters coveted the animals' coats, and that played a role in the near-elimination of the species.
Today, fewer than 50 of these foxes are thought to remain in the Sierra, and they've proved a major challenge to monitor and capture. These endangered species are typically somewhere between a mere 7-10 pounds. They are fast and elusive, living in remote, rugged terrain.
Trail camera footage has been one way photographers and officials have confirmed the animal is still lurking in the mountains. Dogs are also a major ally in sniffing out the animal's scat to help track the animal's population levels.
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Now with the device on the animal, researchers can potentially gain an enhanced understanding of the foxes' dens, seasonal movements, reproductive behaviors, and daily routines in the mountains.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sierra Nevada red foxes are predators and foragers that face challenges because of dwindling prey such as small rodents. Their other biggest current threats are extreme weather events like wildfires and droughts, mating with invasive foxes, and competition with coyotes.
In 2018, researchers were able to put GPS collars on two female foxes in California's Cascade mountains. That delivered insights that they hope to replicate in the Sierra Nevada, and capitalize on to aid conservation efforts.
"This represents the culmination of 10 years of remote camera and scat surveys … and three years of intensive trapping efforts," said CDFW environmental scientist Julia Lawson in a press release. "Our goal is to use what we learn from this collared animal to work toward recovering the population in the long term."
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