A Sierra Nevada red fox, spotted in Yosemite National Park is the first sighting after nearly 100 years. The Sierra Nevada red fox spotted in the park has been confirmed by park wildlife biologists who are making tracks through the snow-covered mountains early last December.
The park officials who were reportedly going on a backcountry trip to the far northern part of the park documented when they had the Sierra Nevada red fox spotted last year.
The National Park Service issued a press release saying that the two Sierra Nevada red fox spotted occurred in Dec. 13 and Jan 4. These mark the first confirmed sightings of the rare creature in the park for nearly a century, according to The Weather Channel.
The Sierra Nevada red fox of California is one of the rarest mammals in North America. There are likely fewer than 50 left, according to the National Park Service, making the fox one of the rarest mammals in the part of the U.S.
Remote cameras have reportedly been used to track and detect the Sierra Nevada red fox spotted in the park. It took five days for the wildlife biologists at the park to complete the mission.
It was exciting for the biologists to have validated the existence of Sierra Nevada red fox, spotted in Yosemite.
"We are thrilled to hear about the sighting of the Sierra Nevada red fox, one of the most rare and elusive animals in the Sierra Nevada," said Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park's superintendent officer.
"National parks like Yosemite provide habitat for all wildlife and it is encouraging to see that the red fox was sighted in the park," he added.
"Confirmation of the Sierra Nevada red fox in Yosemite National Park's vast alpine wilderness provides an opportunity to join research partners in helping to protect this imperiled animal," according to Sarah Stock, wildlife biologist in the park. "We're excited to work across our boundary to join efforts with other researchers that will ultimately give these foxes the best chances for recovery."
The Yosemite carnivore crew will now be continuing to survey for Sierra Nevada red fox, spotted in the park, through the use of remote cameras. They hope to detect other species of the same kind in the are, according to the National Park Service.
The Sierra Nevada red foxes spotted in the Sonora Pass area, north of the park, is the nearest documentation of the animals since today's sighting. Biologists say the small population was first documented in 2010, reports the Associated Press.
The Sierra Nevada red fox, spotted recently in Yosemite are reportedly part of a larger study funded by the Yosemite Conservancy in aims to determine occurrence and distribution of rare carnivores in Yosemite National Park.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
