"One by one, the crate doors swing open and five Arctic foxes bound off into the snowy landscape.

In the wilds of southern Norway, the newly freed foxes could struggle to find enough to eat, as the impacts of climate change make the foxes’ traditional rodent prey more scarce.

In Hardangervidda National Park, where the foxes have been released, there hasn’t been a good lemming year since 2021, scientists say.

That’s why the scientists breeding them in captivity are also maintaining more than 30 feeding stations across the alpine wilderness stocked with dog food kibble – a rare and controversial step in conservation circles."

Lisi Niesner photographs and Lisi Niesner and Gloria Dickie report for Reuters February 29, 2024. [2]