South Korea is set to release 30 red foxes into the Sobaeksan Mountains this year. (Image courtesy of Korea National Park Service (KNPS))
SEOUL, August 7 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea is set to release 30 red foxes into the Sobaeksan Mountains this year, part of a long-running restoration effort to bring back a species once common across the Korean Peninsula but driven to the brink of extinction by human intervention in the 1970s.
The Korea National Park Service (KNPS) announced Tuesday that the red fox population—designated a critically endangered species in South Korea—has begun to rebound under a restoration project launched in 2012.
Red foxes were once widespread, but their numbers plummeted during the government-led “Rat Eradication Campaign” of the 1970s. The campaign drastically reduced rodent populations—foxes’ primary food source—and many foxes suffered secondary poisoning after feeding on rats that had ingested rodenticides.
Initial breeding efforts between 2013 and 2018 yielded modest results, with just 2.5 foxes born annually on average. But since 2019, the birth rate has surged to about 33 per year, a turnaround officials attribute to improved breeding environments and behavior-based pairings that reduced stress and promoted natural mating.
(Image courtesy of Korea National Park Service (KNPS))
Still, threats to survival remain. Although red foxes can live up to nine years in the wild, most don’t survive beyond six, with roadkill, illegal traps, and pesticide poisoning posing significant risks. Nearly 28% of the foxes released into the wild have died due to such human-related causes, according to the KNPS.
The Ministry of Environment and the KNPS plan to continue the restoration program through 2027, with a goal of establishing a stable population of at least 100 red foxes in the region and five breeding groups spanning three generations.
As a mid-level predator, red foxes play a key role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling populations of rodents, birds, frogs, and snakes.
“The red fox is not just a symbol of biodiversity,” a KNPS spokesperson said. “It’s a vital player in sustaining a healthy, functioning ecosystem.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
