Project for restoring the Korean red fox, Vulpes vulpes, which is known to become extinct, is getting under way.

Korea National Park Service (KNPS) under the Ministry of Environment announced on 24, the completion of training center for natural adaptation. The center is built for ‘Restoration Project of Korean Red Fox’ and three native red foxes are brought in to study their habits.

Starting with the completion of the training center, the Ministry and KNPS are pursuing ‘Restoration Project of Korean Red Fox’, aiming for increasing the number of species to at least 50.   

Until the Korean red foxes are released, the recently built training center will be the main place for the restoration project and be used for collecting data related to the red fox such as behavioral habits, food preferences and reproductive characteristics.

In Dec. 2012, Sobaeksan National Park with optimistic environment for the Korean red foxes and abundant food resources was chosen to be the training center.

The center is composed of main building, observation space, fox earth, etc.

In addition, three native foxes were brought in to study red fox ecology and the lives of the foxes are recorded and managed through 24-hour monitoring via CCTVs installed at the center.

The very first three red foxes were donated by a citizen in 2011 and were temporarily kept at Seoul National Park until the completion of the training center.

The data gathered through ecological research will be utilized as ecological resources for training the foxes to survive in the wild, when they are released in Sobaeksan.       

The Ministry and KNPS are also planning to adopt more Korean red foxes in 2012 in addition to the existing red foxes.

One pair of red foxes which were donated by Seoul Nation Park in May 2011, will be released in Sobaeksan during the second half of the year after the training.

Also, three pairs of red foxes which are genetically identical with the Korean red foxes will be brought in from Russia’s Maritime Province and the southeast of China to train them at the center.

Species Restoration Technology Institute emphasized the meaning of the restoration project, as together with the restoration of endangered species and natural ecology, restoration of the red foxes means the enhancement of biodiversity of Korea.