The swift fox was in perfect light. He was slightly uneasy with my presence but soon calmed down to curl on his warm rock. Once, when I moved the tripod he quickly moved toward his den, but within seconds he came back to his warm sunlit rock. Brown glistening eyes looked right into my lens. Black whiskers stood out against the white on the side of his muzzle. I moved more slowly and quietly after that, and was able to fire off only two rolls of film before the light was gone.

His keen eyes and facial expressions clearly showed he was a cautious animal. He soon accepted my presence with a composed calm and confidence. His beauty as well as his personality had captured my heart.

I had become quite intrigued with this animal and had to know more. He is one of the smallest foxes in the world standing 12 inches high at the shoulder and weighing 3 to 6 pounds. This fox can reach speeds up to 25 miles per hour, thus the name. The swift fox is nocturnal. It is thought to be a subspecies of the kit fox, though some use the names interchangeably. Swift foxes feed on rabbits, ground squirrels, rats, grasses and berries. These non-territorial animals are monogamous.

Years ago the swift fox could be found over the grasslands of Canada. Their range in the U.S. included the states between North Dakota and Mexico. The swift fox was second only to the prairie dog as the most common species when settlers came to the plains. What a sight it must have been to look out over the grasslands to see these animals about! The Great Plaines Indian tribes believed the swift fox to be a sacred animal, an "Animal of the Soul". Archeologists have found swift fox bones that date back 7500 years. Man was able to almost eradicate it in less than 75 years.

Today the swift fox is endangered through out ninety percent of its habitat range in Canada. The United States has also seen a heavy decline in population. Once again incidental Strychnine-poisoning appears to have been a primary cause of the reduction to this species numbers. Intensive trapping in the past and habitat destruction has contributed to the decline of this species.

In 1969 Montana declared the swift fox extinct in that state. Other species have been placed on the endangered list, but the swift fox has yet to achieve this status. Without a doubt the swift fox has declined enough in numbers to qualify. Funding has kept this species from receiving the attention and aid that is necessary and deserved. It seems that recovery is slow for this species. As with all animals whose numbers have declined, it takes much longer to reinstate them than it did to almost eradicate them.

I hope I live to see the day when photographers who appreciate nature have the opportunity to photograph animals such as these in the wild, living free, without bars to protect them, such as was the case when I photographed this fox at the Houston Zoo.

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