Story perspectives

Catalina Fox Becomes Wildfire-Safety Mascot After Recovery

5/27/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Catalina Island fox now serves as the mascot for the island’s wildfire-safety public-information campaign.
After a 1999 canine distemper outbreak reduced the population to about 100, captive breeding, vaccination and monitoring tripled numbers by 2004 and led to a threatened status in 2016.
Experts continue checks, vaccinate against distemper and rabies, and use telemetry teams with volunteer pilots to track hundreds of foxes and manage disease, ear-mite and vehicle-strike risks.

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Story summary

The Catalina Island fox now serves as the mascot for the island’s wildfire-safety public-information campaign.
After a 1999 canine distemper outbreak reduced the population to about 100, captive breeding, vaccination and monitoring tripled numbers by 2004 and led to a threatened status in 2016.
Experts continue checks, vaccinate against distemper and rabies, and use telemetry teams with volunteer pilots to track hundreds of foxes and manage disease, ear-mite and vehicle-strike risks.