Swift Fox (Vulpes velox)

Swift foxes, once common throughout North America, were extinct in Canada by 1938. The fur trade, poisoning of prairie predators by settlers, cultivation for agriculture, the eradication of bison on which the foxes scavenged, and changes in the composition of the native prairie ecosystem had all taken their toll. The once common stories of inquisitive swift foxes chewing the saddles used for pillows by sleeping cowboys were silenced.

Swift foxes are one of the smallest members of the dog family, weighing only 2.5 kg, about half the size of a red fox and less than the average house cat. Despite their small size, Swift Foxes are extraordinarily quick. Explorers who saw these dainty creatures speed across the prairie at over 60 kph believed that only antelopes could match the speed and grace of the Swift fox.

In 1983, federal and provincial government agencies joined forces with universities and conservation organization, such as the Calgary Zoo, to launch a Canadian swift fox conservation breeding reintroduction program. By the winter of 1996/1997, approximately 280 wild foxes had been re-established in two small Canadian sub-populations.