In a thrilling win for wildlife conservation, a Northern California photographer has captured trail camera footage of one of the planet's rarest mammals: the Sierra Nevada red fox.

With only an estimated 18 to 39 individuals left in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sierra Nevada red fox is teetering on the brink of extinction. This winter, however, photographer Randy Robbins struck gold. After three years of patient "camera trapping" — a method using motion-triggered cameras — Robbins uncovered over three minutes of daylight footage showing the fox calmly lounging in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

"I was like, 'Man, this is just a beautiful scene,'" Robbins told SFGATE. "When I got it home on the computer was really when I realized this is special."

The fox, with its thick red coat and distinctive high-altitude habitat, is listed as critically endangered. These rare glimpses are typically no more than a "fleeting glimpse," Robbins said, making the extended video especially remarkable. The Yosemite Conservancy calls the Sierra Nevada red fox "one of the rarest mammals in the world."

Species like this one face mounting threats, from wildfire and drought to habitat loss and competition with coyotes. However, this footage shows how technology — particularly trail cameras — can play a vital role in documenting endangered species, guiding conservation efforts, and galvanizing public interest.

This isn't the first time trail cameras have given conservationists hope. In recent years, similar devices captured a baby Javan rhino in Indonesia and a juvenile northern hairy-nosed wombat in Australia — both critically endangered species.

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Smart environmental management and public support can help turn the tide. Recovering species can boost ecosystem health, which in turn can benefit human food systems, climate resilience, and biodiversity.

As Robbins said, per SFGATE, the growing attention gives him hope.

"It's showing me that people really are interested and that people really do care about what happens with this species."

Want to help? Take local action or support eco-friendly initiatives.