Arctic fox<br /> Alopex lagopus<br /> NORWAY / SVALBARD<br /> The Arctic fox comes in two colour schemes<br /> – light grey and bluish-black. It is an opportunist<br /> that eats almost anything, but when it has a<br /> choice, it specialises in small rodents and birds.<br /> It is a common animal on Greenland, Iceland,<br /> Svalbard and in the Russian Arctic.<br /> In Finland and Scandinavia, it was driven close<br /> to extinction by being hunted and trapped for its<br /> valuable fur. Despite over 75 years of protection,<br /> the mainland Scandinavian population still<br /> remains on the brink of extinction, with only<br /> some 200 adult individuals left in the wild. Supplementary<br /> feeding programmes during winter, and<br /> reintroductions from captive breeding facilities<br /> finally seem to be having some real success. <br /> In 2011 no less than 700 pups were born in the wild.<br /> Nature conservation works!<br /> This is one of the species that Rewilding Europe wants considers <br /> to help reintroduce and restock in the huge Greater Laponia region in Sweden and Norway.<br /> <br /> Photo: Mireille de la Lez / Wild Wonders of Europe
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