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For those of you that don't know where the Channel Islands are, they lie just West North West of Los Angeles - just off the coast just off Ventura and Santa Barbara. There are 3 main ones - and a small one - that are a national park. Despite the islands' proximity to people and their value if they were developed, the are in a near "natural" state. I say near natural because there once was grazing and farming on the largest of them many years ago.
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In fact, the agricultural development is what lead to the original decline of the Channel Island Fox. But with conversation efforts, it has bounced back.
The Channel Island Fox presents no threat to dogs or cats or chickens, since it is stuck way out on the Channel islands (unlike wild wolf reintroductions). They are part of the natural ecosystem, hunting rats, rabbits and other small animals - some native and some that were introduced with farming.
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To visit theChannel Islands, there is a great daily ferry to the closest island (Anacapa) from Ventura. It allows for a nice day hike on Anacapa Island (the smallest).
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Technically (i.e. in a geographic / geological sense) Santa Catalina and San Clemente islands are also part of the Channel Islands, but aren't referred to as such. Catalina has a small city (Avalon) and an extra port (Twin Harbors). It is far from natural. There are a few herds of buffalo / bison on the island. Brought there for filming movies and now, generations later, still prospering. The city also has dogs and cats, which screw with island ecology.
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San Clemente Island was a Navy bombing range for years and year. There is a semi-indigenous goat species (San Clemente Goats) that have a heritage blood line - since they were brought from Spain hundreds of years ago. They are now being raised in a few places (including Nebraska, and New York) to provide disease resistant blood lines into domesticated goat breeds. If I was ever going to raise an animal - it would be the San Clemente Goats - they are so cute!)
