Success Story: Tiny Island Foxes Removed From Endangered Species List, Creatures Flourishing Today

The tiny island foxes have come back from their extinction after they are being listed as endangered about a decade ago. They are the fastest of any mammal in the 43-year history of the Endangered Species Act that has recovered, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Interior Department.

Nearly extinct, California Island foxes make a comeback https://t.co/AnPgCZISdF #NatureIsAmazing pic.twitter.com/w2Ron9WLel

— Stacy Steen (@Stacy_Steen) August 15, 2016

Dan Ashe, the Fish and Wildlife director stated that it's remarkable to think that in 2004, these foxes were given a 50 percent chance of being vanished in the next decade. He further stated that successes at reversing endangered species' population drops were "coming faster and faster now because they are learning how to do it better," as noted by Huffington Post.

As of today, the Channel Islands has nearly 6,000 of island foxes. Scott Morrison of the Nature Conservancy said that now, you go out there and you don't have to wait very long before a fox crosses your path. The island foxes that were removed from the endangered list on Thursday are those from Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Cruz.

In Santa Cruz, the island foxes are flourishing. It was thought that the island had approximately 1,200 to 1,500 island foxes. On the other hand, it shows that in 2015, there are about 2,100 island foxes on the most biodiverse island off the California Coast. Ashley Spratt, the public affairs officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that it's a sign of hope as a conservation community coming together, pooling their resources. She further said that the island fox is a symbol for the islands and it's a real success story, according to Independent.