5,036 pigs removed from Santa Cruz Island, foxes rebounded from 70 to 2,100
The removal of over 5,000 feral pigs from Santa Cruz Island led to a rapid recovery of the endangered island fox population. The project reversed a chain reaction where invasive pigs attracted golden eagles that preyed on the foxes.
Why it matters
It serves as a successful case study for ecosystem restoration and the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act in managing complex ecological threats.
An aggressive campaign to eradicate 5,036 feral pigs from Santa Cruz Island triggered the fastest successful recovery of an endangered mammal in the history of the United States Endangered Species Act. According to official press releases from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and historical records from the National Park Service, the eradication program began in 2005 as part of a larger effort to save the native Santa Cruz Island fox from extinction. By 2015, the island's fox population had grown from fewer than 70 animals to about 2,100. In August 2016, federal officials removed three subspecies of the Channel Islands fox from the endangered species list.An ecological chain reaction on the islandThe decline of the Santa Cruz Island fox was caused by a chain of environmental changes linked to human activity.
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