California scientists catch 2 elusive Sierra Nevada red foxes

California wildlife biologists say they have caught two rare Sierra Nevada red foxes in three weeks.

The red fox was listed as threatened in California in 1980. Scientists studying the animal had not been able to capture a red fox in a decade.

The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday that a nearly nine-pound female walked into a trap Tuesday near Manzanita Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park. A 10-pound male was captured Feb. 13 just outside the park.

Scientists with the Department of Fish and Wildlife say they took blood samples and put tracking collars on the animals.

Electronic tracking will allow biologists to know more about the size of the elusive red fox’s home range and to hopefully learn more about its den sites and reproductive rates.