After a dramatic drop in 2008-12 the Arctic fox population has stabilized in Iceland the most recent analysis by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History (pdf). The total population is estimated to count 7,000, down from a peak 11,000 in 2005-2008.
Read more: Cuteness overload: A video of a litter of Arctic fox pups explore the world for the first time
The Arctic fox population has been monitored closely since 1979. That year the population was estimated at just 3,000 animals. Efforts to protect the foxes and limit their hunting resulted in the population doubling by the early 1990s. In the second half of the decade the population then boomed, reaching a peak in 2005-2008. In 2008-2010 the population then experienced a drop of 30%.
Since 2011 the population appears to have stabilized. Due to the large uncertainty in the population estimates, scientists are not able to say with certainty whether the 2008-10 trend has been reversed. The distribution and behavior of the foxes mean that the population could lie anywhere between 4,000 and 11,000 animals.
After a dramatic drop in 2008-12 the Arctic fox population has stabilized in Iceland the most recent analysis by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History (pdf). The total population is estimated to count 7,000, down from a peak 11,000 in 2005-2008.
Read more: Cuteness overload: A video of a litter of Arctic fox pups explore the world for the first time
The Arctic fox population has been monitored closely since 1979. That year the population was estimated at just 3,000 animals. Efforts to protect the foxes and limit their hunting resulted in the population doubling by the early 1990s. In the second half of the decade the population then boomed, reaching a peak in 2005-2008. In 2008-2010 the population then experienced a drop of 30%.
Since 2011 the population appears to have stabilized. Due to the large uncertainty in the population estimates, scientists are not able to say with certainty whether the 2008-10 trend has been reversed. The distribution and behavior of the foxes mean that the population could lie anywhere between 4,000 and 11,000 animals.
