In 2022, 164 new arctic fox litters were registered in Sweden, Norway and Finland, writes the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency in a press release. Last year, 118 new litters were confirmed.
The adult foxes are estimated to be over 550, an increase of 88 foxes compared to last year.
“In the last 20 years, it has been a record year,” says Malin Åhl, wildlife officer at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, in the press release.
As recently as 2000, the mountain fox was close to extinction in both Sweden and Norway, with an estimated population of between 40 and 60 individuals. It is still classified as highly threatened in Sweden and has had difficulty recovering despite its status as a protected species for 90 years.
According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, a decisive factor for this year’s strong growth is that there was plenty of the arctic fox’s main food, small rodents.