The document discusses the relationship between humans and arctic foxes in Iceland. It notes that the arctic fox was the only native mammal on the island, while other animals were introduced by settlers. Though the fox has rights as a native species, it also kills sheep and has depleted some bird populations. The document reviews the history of fox hunting and trapping in Iceland. It discusses the rise and fall of a short-lived fox farming industry and examines debates around managing the fox population to protect livestock and wildlife.

1. FOX IN ICELAND

2. The relationship between man
and fox
• The artic fox is the first and only mammal in Iceland that
was not brougth here by humans
• All others mammals (sheeps, cows, horses, goats,etc.)
came to Iceland with the settlers or later.
• Despite that, the man have been struggeling with the fox
since settlement
• To begin with, the struggle was most about that the fox
was killing sheeps but now the struggle is also about
how the fox has destroyed bird life in sertain areas in
Iceland.

3. HALLGRÍMUR PÉTURSON
• Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614– October 27, 1674) was one of
Iceland's most famous poets
• He made an poet about the Icelandic fox
• Þú sem bítur bóndans fé,
• bölvuð í þér augun sé!
• Stattu eins og stofn af tré
• stirð og dauð á jörðunne.
• The poet is about: When the fox bites a sheep, he is cursed
and wished a dead
• Hallgrímur was a religious man, despite of that he wished the
fox to die. This reflect the Icelanders opinion of the fox.

4. The fox
• Ásmundur Einar Daðason, member of the Icelandic parliament
wrote this about the Icelandic fox
• The fox is one of Icelands native inhabitant and he has its right
to be that. On the other hand, since settlement, the human
have tryed to limit the size of the stock to minimize it damage
to livestock and other animals.
• In 30 years, the size of the artic fox stock in Iceland has
tenfolded
• Fox with 22 meadow pipits in
his mouth.

5. What does the fox eat?
• Páll Hersteinsson, biophysic, researched what the main food of the
fox was:
• From april to august, birds where 80% of the fox food
• In september the birds are only 35% of the fox food, but berries
(bluberries and crowberries mainly) get up to 35%
• 10% of the fox food came from the shore
(mussel, larvas, amphipoda)
• Eggs and sheeps/lambs

6. Fox farming in Iceland
• Fox farming first begined in Iceland the year 1930.
• In the year 2004 there where 13 fox farms in Iceland
• In the year 2009 there was one fox farm
• In the year 2013 there was none fox farm left in Iceland.
• The farms did not breed artic fox, they mainly breeded red fox
and a mix of fox from Alaska, Canada, Siberia, Greenland and
Svaldbard
• The fox farming did not turn out like the farmers hoped. It was
a struggle since it begined until it ended. Mostly because og
low prices for the skins.

7. Why are men struggeling with
the fox?
• The fox have exterminated at least one bird species in Iceland
and birdlife in Iceland have changed very much past years
because of the fox
• In the Hornstrandir area in West-Fjords, the fox is preserved.
• Due to that, birdlife in the Hornstrandir area has tumbled
down
• Hungry foxes have been attacking to sheeps in the wild
through the centurys

10. Fox trap
• Before the time of the gun, Icelanders hunted
foxes in small trap
• The trap was pilled up rocks with a small gap.
Inside the trap there was an bait (generally
horsemeat) and that was connected to a stone
that closed the gap so the fox could not escape
• After the gun came to Iceland, hunters have
mostly used guns to kill foxes

11. Old fox trap

12. Sources
• http://gudmann.photoshelter.com/img/pixel.gif
• http://www.ferlir.is/?id=10656
• http://animalgalleries.org/albums/Small-Land-Mammals/Fox-Galleries/Arctic-Fox-
Gallery/Arctic%20Fox%20Polar%20Picture%20summer%20cub%20pup.jpg
• http://asmundur.is/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Refamynd-21-300x200.jpg
• http://asmundur.is/2012/08/fjolgun-refa-og-rong-stefna-rikisstjornarinnar/
• http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=228621&pageId=3100425&lang=is&q=REFI
%20ref
• http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=114811&pageId=1423029&lang=is&navsel=
666&q=kransaugu

13. Any questions?