14 DAY TRIAL // In the mid-1990s, California's Channel Islands nearly lost their dwarf foxes. Conservationists say that, in just a few years, the overall headcount for this species dropped from several thousand to just a dozen or so.
Recent (good) news says that the species is no longer a critically endangered one, Tree Hugger reports.
Thus, California's dwarf foxes appear to have made a recovery. In fact, conservationists say that about 600 such animals can now be found on Santa Rosa Island.
San Miguel Island is believed to be home to approximately 500 dwarf foxes, and Santa Cruz Island really takes the lion's share, meaning that at least 1,300 dwarf foxes are estimated to inhabit it nowadays.
“It's a strange thing. The official recovery plan has not even been finalized [by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service], and yet these populations are doing so well that they can come off the Endangered Species List,” biologist Timothy Coonan said.
Here's hoping this species will continue to thrive in the years to come.