There is evidence indicating that competition for food among young pups accounts for some of the heavy mortality in this age group. Their numbers do not seem to be greatly affected by trapping. In the past 50 years, the annual harvest of white foxes in Alaska has ranged from a high of nearly 17,000 in 1925 to a low of 500 in 1956. The average is about 4,000 pelts per year. The demand for arctic fox fur has diminished in recent years, but the sale of their pelts is important to the economy of many coastal Native villages.
Arctic foxes are generally less wary of humans than their near relative, the red fox.
They sometimes become nuisances around settlements. They are susceptible to rabies and can transmit this disease to humans. Foxes that approach humans without hesitation may have rabies and should be killed and submitted to health authorities. All Rights Reserved .