Foxes, called Nu-ha-Tocana by the Annie and Nakoda peoples, once roamed the western plains from Texas to Canada, feeding on small rodents and insects. But their numbers plummeted when settlers arrived, plowing the prairies and setting up poison bait to target canine predators. In the 1980s, conservationists began reintroducing foxes to the Blackfoot and Fort Peck reservations in Montana, but the animals have no contact with southern populations.
Now, the Annie and Nakoda people are working with biologists to reintroduce 30 to 40 foxes to the Fort Belknap Refuge each year for five years. “We hope that the foxes will continue to expand into their previous range and eventually reunite the two separate populations,” says filmmaker Roshan Patel. Based on observations and genetic information from fecal samples, scientists believe the foxes are successfully building new dens, finding mates, and raising young.
Patel was drawn to the story by the tribe’s relationship with the flying foxes, who they see as a missing piece of the puzzle in the Plains’ larger ecosystem. “This is not just a story about a scientific debate. It was the human connection that drove all of the efforts to bring the foxes back to Fort Belknap,” Patel says. “I hope viewers understand the importance of community in conservation efforts.”
About the filmmakers: Roshan Patel is an award-winning wildlife and conservation filmmaker whose work often focuses on the relationship between communities and wildlife. Roshan holds a BA in Biology and an MA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking. He is currently the Resident Filmmaker and Photographer at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington DC.
About the Contest: Now in its 11th year, the Yale Environmental 360 Film Contest recognizes the best environmental documentaries of the year with the goal of celebrating lesser known works. This year, 714 submissions were received from 91 countries across six continents, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert, Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Thomas Lennon, and others. Electronic 360Editor-in-Chief Roger Cohn.
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