In 2005, California began eradicating 5,036 feral pigs from Santa Cruz Island as part of a wider fox recovery effort; by 2015 its native fox population had risen from under 70 to about 2,100

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.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!