“Ne Shun Tachi,” the Island’s beloved captive Catalina Island fox that touched the hearts of untold thousands, passed away in her sleep on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 15, from a form of round cell cancer.
Despite her condition, Tachi showed very little sign of discomfort, and at no point did she require or receive any pain support medication.
“Ne Shun Tachi,” the Island’s beloved captive Catalina Island fox that touched the hearts of untold thousands, passed away in her sleep on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 15, from a form of round cell cancer.
Despite her condition, Tachi showed very little sign of discomfort, and at no point did she require or receive any pain support medication.
“Our Little Girl of Hope,” as she was named in the language of the Island’s first inhabitants, the Tongva, served her entire life as ambassador for her species, which teetered on the brink of extinction in 1999.
Tachi was born April 11, 2003, as part of the captive breeding program created by the Catalina Island Conservancy and its partner, the Institute for Wildlife Studies.
Just four years earlier, the Island’s population had crashed from an estimated 1,300 foxes to a mere 100 individuals, due to a virulent strain of canine distemper virus.
“Tachi was born in our breeding facility to the pair that was in Pen 2,” said Julie King, who was a wildlife biologist for the IWS. King is now the director of Conservation and Wildlife Management for the Conservancy.
“Her parents were excellent breeders, but they never really cared too much about raising their puppies,” she said. “They produced three female puppies that year including Tachi. They just didn’t want anything to do with their pups.”
They were taken back to the Conservancy’s veterinary field clinic in Middle Ranch where there was an incubator, which kept them dry and warm.
One of the three pups perished due to hypothermia, the other two foxes were to be fostered out to other moms with pups the following week. But, Tachi had developed an eye infection. The biologists kept her isolated in the clinic because the infection might have been contagious.
Tachi opens her eyes
During that time, her eyes opened onto a world she should have never seen.
“The first thing she saw in her life were people—Matt Christenson, wildlife technician, and Drs. Winston Vickers and Deana Fritcher (Clifford), who continued to care for her.
“When her eye infection cleared, she was placed back in with a foster mom,” King said. “She got along with the siblings, but it was very difficult for her now to compete with them to actually nurse. She was smaller than the rest and never had to fight for food before because she had been bottle-fed.”
When it got time to release Tachi and the other 2003 captive-born pups, the veterinarians realized that she wasn’t an ideal candidate for release. Tachi was just too comfortable with people.
There was concern that once in the wild, she could wander into a human area such as a youth camp or campground and beg for food or seek out human attention.
That behavior had the potential to place her directly in harm’s way, especially if a dog was present.
As a result of her comfort with people, a decision was jointly made by the IWS, the Catalina Island Conservancy, and the California Department of Fish and Game to keep her indefinitely in captivity.
She would serve as an education animal and ambassador for the species.
Over the years, more than 100,000 visitors saw Tachi on the many tours that made stops at her enclosure.
She made many appearances at the Avalon School, where King would bring her into classrooms.
“We have been able to incorporate the work we have been doing on behalf of the foxes into their science lessons,” King said.
Tachi was a featured guest at the annual Catalina Island Conservancy Ball, and thrilled youngsters and adults alike at Earth Day celebrations in Avalon.
She toured the various summer camps on the Island, spreading the word about the immediacy necessary in restoring her species to the Island.
King has been asked if the Conservancy will get another fox.
“At this point, we aren’t legally permitted to do so,” she said. “They are a federally endangered and state threatened species, and will be for quite some time. Tachi’s situation was quite unique. Unless another situation like that occurs, we cannot justify removing an otherwise healthy fox pup from the wild and placing it into captivity.”
Now, instead of just a few hundred foxes on Catalina, there are more than 1,500 of Tachi’s relatives on the Island as of the last count in 2011.
“I always prefer for people to see them in the wild,” King said. “That’s where they should be. Tachi acted much more like a domestic animal because she was hand raised. She wanted her belly rubbed and wanted to play fetch. That’s cute, but it doesn’t portray the true behavior of an adult wild fox.
“People enjoyed seeing Tachi up close, but I always tried to emphasize how exciting and special it is to catch a glimpse of one in the wild.” King said.
“When I came to Catalina back in 2004, it was for a three-month seasonal position,” King said.
“Since meeting her, I haven’t wanted to leave her. Tachi has essentially been my pet and Calvin’s pet for all this time,” King said. “It’s been more than eight years now. Tachi definitely had a lot to do with that. I like to say that she has held me captive.”
