Central Oregon biologist tracks the rare and mysterious Sierra Nevada red fox

Wildlife biologist Jamie Bowles has spent the past several years in search of an elusive species in Oregon’s Cascade Range
At an Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife office, biologist Jamie Bowles reviewed a video clip submitted to her for species identification. Recorded while driving a forest road in Central Oregon’s Cascade mountains, the handheld video showed a glimpse of gray and black fur as a small animal slipped behind a ponderosa pine.

The animal reappeared and began a slow trot alongside the road. It was an ash-gray color, with tiny black legs, pointy ears tipped with black, and a narrow black muzzle. Clearly it was a canid, but too small to be a coyote. Its puffy tail nearly dragged on the ground and was tipped with white, the signature feature of a fox.

“This is unbelievable,” the driver narrated to the recording phone. “What a beautiful animal. I think it’s one of those Cascade red foxes...”

The driver’s guess made sense. In fact, as recently as a decade ago, wildlife biologists would have concurred.