Sierra Nevada Red Fox in Yosemite National Park. (2018, December 3). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/redfox.htm

This main purpose of this article is to report a rare sighting of a Sierra Nevada Red Fox in Yosemite National Park. Originally, these creatures lived amongst California’s Sierra Nevada and the Southern Cascade Mountains, free from danger. Starting in 1940, as trappers became intrigued by the fox’s attractive and dense fur coats, the population decreased immensely. As the hunting and trapping continued, by 1980 this species was declared endangered in California. Recently, motion sensor cameras captured photos of a healthy fox within Yosemite National Park, hinting that this species may have made a comeback.

This article tells the story of many furred animals native to North America. As European settlers moved west their existence became threatened as demand increased for their furs. It has often been a status symbol to have the finest furs as it still is today in fur coats or as it once was with weird looking hats. It is disheartening the destruction humans will cause in order to fashionable. However, as healthy foxes return to Yosemite perhaps we can strive for a better if less fashionable future.