San Joaquin Kit Fox
The population of the Kit Fox has been greatly affected by destruction of their habitat along with the predation by non-natives like the red fox and coyotes (Vaughn, 2002). Due to the small size of this fox they are not able to defend themselves or their habitat, they also do not have the ability to adapt to new areas.
Several organizations such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and Defenders of Wildlife which is run by the federal government have created recovery plans to help save the Kit Fox and bring them out of endangerment. Right now, the Defenders of Wildlife which is a non-profit organization working to save the habitat for the Kit Foxes that are very important to their ways of living. Many things are working well while helping to save this habitat while other things not as much, overall we need support from the public to save this helpless species and its dying habitat. They are doing this by helping to protect native grasslands in their habitat. Grasslands are extremely important for this habitat and worldwide because they are natural carbon sinks which affect the carbon cycle. In the carbon cycle earth emits, recaptures and stores large quantities of carbon dioxide. By this process occurring the global temperature stays more or less in balance (Wildlife Heritage Foundation, 2017). The Defenders of Wildlife have also formed an alliance with the California Cattlemen’s Association and their group called the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition. Together, they have worked to save over 13 million acres of rangeland in the Central Valley.
There is always more that can be done, more help, more volunteering and more people that are passionate about standing up for an animal that cannot stand up for itself. Organizations and people who are unaware need to hear from you, need to hear your compassion and your determination to save local mammals like the Kit Fox. It takes no effort to get involved, making a donation or simply just telling your neighbors about the problem at hand. We must do everything we can do to help helpless creatures like these, not only for ourselves, but for the animals and the ecosystems around us.
Many people have been working to protect this special species. California has put in many acts and agreements, like the California Endangered Species Act and the Safe Harbor Agreement. The California Endangered Species Act states that all native species, animals and their habitats, threatened to extinction will be protected or preserved (California Endangered Species Act). The Safe Harbor Agreement allows landowners to create or improve habitat without restrictions from the government (Breakthrough Agreement San Joaquin Kit Foxes). There are also restrictions that humans are supposed to follow in order to keep the San Joaquin Kit Foxes habitat as natural as possible. These include things like do not feed to it foxes, remove sources of water, avoid attracting rodents and other prey and many more (Keep Me Wild). Each one of these restrictions is important to help protect and preserve the habitat and the San Joaquin Kit Foxes.