Mange decimates population of San Joaquin kit foxes

The population of San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) in Bakersfield, California is declining rapidly due to an outbreak of sarcoptic mange. Bakersfield’s KBAK/KBFX reports that the population of the endangered species has plunged 50 percent in recent years. “Five years ago we had a nice population of foxes in (Bakersfield), and then we started getting calls about sick-looking animals,” Erica Kelly, a research ecologist for California State University, Stanislaus’s Endangered Species Recovery Program, told bakersfieldnow.com. Caused by a mite infestation, sarcoptic mange is fatal to the foxes.   

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