TIMID foxes do better in the wild than their bolder cousins, according to the
first ever study of the personality and survival rate of animals reintroduced
into the wild.
Samantha Bremner of Queen’s University Belfast has been helping breed swift
foxes in captivity and release them into the Blackfeet Tribal Reserve in
Montana. Before releasing 30 foxes last summer she measured how the animals
reacted to unusual stimuli, such as a beach ball and a visit from a strange
human, then ranked their boldness.
The shy ones survived much better in the wild, avoiding death on roads and
attacks by…
