San Joaquin Kit Fox
I strongly believe that the San Joaquin Kit Fox needs to be saved. This animal is clearly not the most important animal on the planet, it doesn’t play a big role in its niche, but it does play a keystone role in its habitat.
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Saving this animal will not only keep the ecosystem in check but will help in stopping urban sprawl. By raising awareness about the San Joaquin Kit Fox we also create awareness of the San Joaquin Valley as a whole, which in the long run, can save many more animals and the land itself. This animal needs to be saved, if no effort is made to do so then the San Joaquin Valley will be urbanized and will lose much more than just one species.
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Nobody else will be as passionate as we are to save this animal and this ecosystem without a reason why, without determination and of course without an adorable creature that is desperate for your help. I feel that as long as people know about the danger the SJ Kit Fox is in they will not act upon it, but if they become aware that several other species are threatened by this and possibly a whole ecosystem they will be more likely to care and act on the problem.
We already added one animal to the endangered species list from the SJ Valley, we do not want to continue urbanizing and polluting the area and result in adding the rest. If we do not act on the problem at hand the SJ Valley will continue to urbanize, putting more pollution into the air and water, putting more animals at risk. There would be no negative in saving the Kit Fox, in fact the environment would only benefit from it.
Do I think it is important to save the San Joaquin Kit Fox? Yes. I think that every animal native to the area has a right to live. This species of fox plays a crucial role in the production of agriculture in the area. The main source of food for kit foxes are small rodents, such as mice and rats. Without these foxes we would see a rise in rodents and the destruction of certain crops.
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The Kit Fox also helps other animals in the area with living situations. Kit foxes will live in many different dens throughout their lifetime. They are not known to be territorial and will move in live in other dens created by different animals and leave the dens they had lived in for other animals to use (Endangered Species Recovery Plan Program). These are two reasons why these animals should be saved in order to improve the surrounding ecosystem. These cute little foxes that have no intention on hurting us need us to stick up for them and protect them.
How you can go about protecting this animal. Stop urban development in the San Joaquin Valley. One of the biggest reasons to the decline in numbers, is fragmentation of their habitat. If we stop building in San Joaquin valley it would decrease the roads that have the potential of kit fox crossing which will decrease the risk of them being hit by vehicles. If you do live in the San Joaquin Valley, using rodent poisons is very unsafe and will end up hurting the kit foxes because they prey on small rodents. Keeping pools and open water sources covered is also a way to help save the kit fox. Also remember that the kit fox is not there to hurt you, they are just trying to live their life in the home that you invaded and took over.