Rare Sierra Nevada red fox spotted near Tahoe, may be making a comeback

Sharon Bernstein, The Sacramento Bee on Feb 25, 2026

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A rare and threatened species of red fox has been spotted in the Tahoe Basin for the first time since the mid-1900s, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.

The Sierra Nevada red fox strolled through the Blackwood Canyon area in Placer County, sniffing at some downed tree branches before heading off into the night — his movements caught by a nighttime trail camera on Nov. 13.

Another red fox was captured and fitted with a tracking collar last month by state wildlife officials near Mammoth Lakes, a move state biologists hope will allow them to better study the animals, which were once thought to be locally extinct.

“The foxes in the Sierra Nevada are isolated from their relatives in the Cascade Range, and the movements and behavior of this collared fox will offer scientists a rare opportunity to better understand the ecology and conservation needs of this remote group,” CDFW said in a news release about the January collaring.

The first sighting of the protected carnivore in recent years was detected near Sonora Pass in 2010, CDFW said in a Facebook post that included video of the November sighting.

Since then, a few red foxes have been spotted farther north around Lake Tahoe — near Donner Lake and the headwaters of the North Fork of the American River — the Facebook post said, encouraging scientists who believe the population may be growing.

The state estimates that there are fewer than 50 Sierra Nevada red foxes in California. Biologists said the species avoids human interaction and lives in rugged terrain at high elevations.

“Cautious behavior, remote habitat and low-density populations make them extremely difficult to find and capture,” CDFW said.

The trail camera that recorded the fox was part of a study by the California Tahoe Conservancy, the Wildlands Network, Pathways for Wildlife and CDFW.

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