Sierra Nevada Red Fox Spotted At Yosemite For First Time In Nearly A Century

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (CBS13) – A Sierra Nevada red fox has been spotted at Yosemite for the first time in nearly 100 years, park officials announced Wednesday.

According to Yosemite National Park officials, the fox was documented on motion-sensitive cameras twice – on Dec. 13, 2014 and Jan. 4 – in the far northern part of the park.

The park has been trying to track the fox for years.

"We are thrilled to hear about the sighting of the Sierra Nevada red fox, one of the most rare and elusive animals in the Sierra Nevada," said Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park Superintendent, in a release.

Sonora Pass is the nearest place to Yosemite where there has been a confirmed red fox sighting. Researchers spotted the fox in 2010, but before that it had been two decades since a Sierra Nevada red fox had been sighted in the region, official note.

Researchers will be analyzing hair collected at the Yosemite site to see if the fox is related to the family in the Sonora Pass area.

Fewer than 50 Sierra Nevada red foxes are believed to exist.