93 - Alaska Trapping - A Conservation Story

Published: July 11, 2020, 11:33 a.m.

In this episode I talk about my experience trapping invasive foxes on an Aleutian island in Alaska.  It was quite the adventure and also quite the conservation success story.  Since the 1940s there has been an initiative to remove the nonnative foxes from islands and restore them to seabird nesting grounds.  Not just helping all seabirds populations but bringing the Aleutian cackling goose (a subspecies of the Canada goose) from the brink of extinction to a population of over 150,000!   These are the stories that the public doesn’t hear when trapping bans are proposed - trapping is conservation!

Here is an article that I wrote about my experience:

https://trappingtoday.com/aleutian-experience-one-trappers-story-fox-trapping-alaskan-islands/

This was the head biologist that coordinated our trapping efforts:

https://www.gi.alaska.edu/alaska-science-forum/biologist-trapper-retires-after-helping-transform-aleutians

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/fox-extermination-aleutian-islands-alaska

As always, be sure to support our sponsors, Kaatz Bros Lures, www.kaatzbros.com and email me with questions or podcast ideas kris@coyotetrappingschool.com