ENA
17 March 2006
Addis Ababa — A major operation aimed at the conservation of the Ethiopian red fox from threats arising from domestic dogs and the current decline in population has become a critical priority, Farm Bulletin, a publication of the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said.
Swift action is needed to avoid the chance of extinction of the Ethiopian red foxes, the bulletin, which is published in English, quoted the professional article of the UK and USA researchers posted on a website, Africa Conservation, as saying.
Farm Bulletin, which is published by ENA for the benefit of higher learning and research institutions engaged in the agricultural sector and other subscribers, said researchers from the Zoological Society of London and the Virginia University underscored that Ethiopian foxes are under critical threat of extinction.
The Ethiopian foxes, which are elegant, long-legged red foxes endemic to the Ethiopian afro-alpine ecosystem, would be extinct without swift intervention and help from the international community, the bulletin said.
It said the Ethiopian foxes are not found anywhere except in the handful of scattered mountain pockets, fewer than 500 and are considered as 'critically endangered' by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
These specialized carnivorous, that prey on the abundant afro-alpine rodent communities, have never been very abundant due to their mountain habitats, the publication said.
The population of the Ethiopian red fox has been declining critically due to increasing human pressure and hybridization with domestic dogs as well as infectious diseases such as rabies, it said.
The monthly bulletin, which is published by the Publications, Broadcast Monitoring Service of the Agency, aims at providing up-to-date information on the agriculture sector to professionals and other subscribers with a view to assisting efforts geared towards the success of agriculture and rural development strategy.
The Ethiopian News Agency has been publishing and distributing Medical World, another bulletin on medical science, among subscribers since the last five years.
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