Quick Take
State and local officials are investigating after a gray fox was found dead in an illegal tube trap at Glenwood Open Space in Scotts Valley. Local land stewards say they might increase patrols to protect native wildlife.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are investigating the death of a gray fox in an illegal metal tube trap in Glenwood Open Space Preserve.
Capt. Scott Garner of the Scotts Valley Police Department said police don’t know how the trap, designed to capture smaller animals like ground squirrels, ended up in the preserve.
On Nov. 12, hikers contacted the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which manages the preserve, to report a wild animal trap they found near the pond area.
“Our first course of action was to alert the authorities, including the Department of Fish and Wildlife,” said Matt Timmer, the Land Trust’s director of land stewardship. “We also sent staff to the preserve to make sure there were no other traps, and they didn’t discover any others.”
Garner said via email that responding officers found a gray fox that had been dead for what appeared to be several days inside the trap. Timmer suspects that the trap hadn’t been there long because it was found in a popular spot and someone would’ve noticed it.
“My impression is that it was a trap that was targeting ground squirrels and not a fox,” Timmer said, adding that he thinks the fox was caught by accident.
”A trap that grips the body of an animal such as a tube trap is not legal in California,” even on private property, said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Krysten Kellum in an email.
“Trapping for pest control purposes is highly regulated in the state of California,” she said. “The gray fox is a native species to California that provides many ecosystem benefits helping control rodent and squirrel populations.”
Kellum said Fish and Wildlife staff are investigating but could not provide further details.
“Both the staff at the Land Trust and the community were pretty upset about this,” Timmer said. “It’s not consistent with how the property is managed. The community and staff feel very strongly about protecting native wildlife and plants, and the preserve was established to protect native animals and plants, so it flies in the face of the preserve’s purpose.”
Timmer, who has been managing the property for seven years, said this was the first time a wildlife trap had been found on the reserve.
“We might step up our patrols and be more diligent to ensure that this doesn’t happen again,” Timmer said. “We have volunteers who are signed up with us that report anything that is suspicious.”
Fish and Wildlife is asking anyone with information about the trap to reach out with tips.
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