Sierra Nevada red fox collared after a decade of searching

Biologists captured and fitted a Sierra Nevada red fox with a GPS collar near Mammoth Lakes in January 2026 after a decade of camera, scat and trapping work, following a 2010 camera-trap sighting that confirmed the species persisted.

Biologists captured and collared a Sierra Nevada red fox near Mammoth Lakes in January 2026. This capture follows more than a decade of remote camera and scat surveys and several years of intensive trapping. A camera trap in 2010 first showed that foxes still lived in the southern Sierra after they had been thought absent. The collar will send location and movement data that can inform understanding of habitat use, breeding and behavior. Key facts: - A Sierra Nevada red fox was captured and fitted with a GPS collar near Mammoth Lakes in January 2026. - The capture follows 10 years of remote camera and scat surveys and three years of intensive trapping, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Scientist Julia Lawson. - A camera trap in 2010 recorded a Sierra Nevada red fox near Sonora Pass, confirming the species' presence in the southern Sierra. - Other Sierra Nevada red foxes have been collared in previous years, including animals near Lassen Peak in 2018. - The species was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2021. - Fewer than 40 individuals are believed to remain in the wild. Summary: The newly collared fox will provide GPS and movement data that biologists say can improve knowledge of habitat, breeding and behavior and inform conservation planning. Data from this single animal are especially valuable given the species' small population. Undetermined at this time whether and when additional Sierra Nevada red foxes will be collared.