Island Fox Extinction : USE THIS VERSION

Re “Island Foxes May Soon Die Out,” April 24.

The ironic part of this story for me is that recent actions by man--in this case the National Park Service--may well have contributed to the reduction in numbers of the island foxes. The article blames cattle grazing for removing coastal sage and feral pigs for attracting golden eagles but both of these activities were abruptly ended several years ago by the National Park Service (via heavy-handed tactics, I might add), which seems to coincide exactly with the reported plunge in numbers of the island foxes.

As the article states, the feral pigs had been living on the islands since the 19th century, right up until the time of their recent slaughter and / or removal. Perhaps they should be quickly reintroduced so that the golden eagles can start eating them again instead of the island foxes.

JOHN LYON, Agoura