Swift fox extinction

Answer 1

By the mid-1900s, the swift fox appeared to have disappeared from Montana altogether. In 1969, the state declared the species extirpated, noting that the last documented record was a specimen captured along the eastern border of Glacier National Park in 1918. Canada declared the swift fox extirpated in 1978. In 1992 the species was petitioned for listing in the United States under the federal Endan-gered Species Act, then was listed as a candidate species by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) four years later. It appeared that the swift fox was about to become the endangered species poster child of the Great Plains. Then, inexplicably, the foxes began reappearing in Montana. "We started hearing more and more reports from people saying they'd seen swift foxes," says Giddings. Most of the sightings were in the state's north-central region around the Hi-Line between Havre and Glasgow. The foxes were products of an aggressive reintroduction begun in Saskatchewan and Alberta several years earlier. In 1983, the provinces had begun releasing wild-captured swift foxes from Colorado and Wyoming and captive-bred foxes from Canada. Over the next 14 years, Canadian wildlife biologists reintroduced 900 foxes into suitable habitat, with the hope that a healthy breeding population would develop. Though most of the released foxes died (reintroduced foxes are highly susceptible to predation), enough survived to establish a growing resident breeding population. Once they learned of the Canadian program, Montana biologist assumed the in-creased sightings were of swift foxes crossing the international border. But with federal listing looming, the state's Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks knew it needed proof the rare fox had established a resident population in Montana.

Answer 2

No, the swift fox is not endangered. It is classified as "Of Least Concern" as it is quite common throughout its range. Click on this link for more information.

Answer 3

The swift fox became extinct because the fur trade people had been killing those fox to make fur, also the swift fox might had a bad habitat to live in.