The Icelandic fox is without a doubt one of the most controversial domestic animals. Even though it existed in Iceland before the settlement and is the only terrestrial mammal that has come to Iceland without the help of man; it is not respected for this; as one might believe. The fox can be killed on sight in most places except in Hornstrandir. Few animals in Iceland have as many names as this tough canine mammal which may possible be traced to the fact that people hesitated to utter the devil’s name. The most common words are of course fox (refur) and vixen (tófa) but other exist that are less flattering like laggard and devil (in Icelandic: dratthali, gortanni, lágfóta, melrakki, skaufhali, skolli and vemma)
No one has researched the fox in Iceland more extensively than Páll Hersteinson, who passed away prematurely last autumn. Hersteinson was Professor of Life and Environmental Science at the University of Iceland until the day he died. He found it natural to use the Icelandic term “melrakki” (dog of the tundra) for the species; as the animal went by that name in the first centuries of Icelandic settlement.
Páll Hersteinsson was born in 1951 and completed a BS degree in Physiology from the University of Dundee, Scotland in 1975. He received his doctoral degree from Oxford University in the UK in 1985 for his research on the Icelandic fox. Hersteinsson researched the fox his entire academic carrier, but in the last year his focus was mainly on the fox’s resource ecology; for example life historical factors such as fertility and mortality . “However, in recent decades I have researched the species’ movement and social system, stem cell genetics, colour inheritance and competition, to name a few subjects,” said Hersteinsson in an interview with the University Magazine early last autumn.
Hersteinsson said on that occasion that knowledge on the Icelandic fox was greatly lacking a few decades ago, and this inspired him to start long-term research. “This was an untouched subject. It was, furthermore, exciting to tackle research on the Icelandic fox as it is so challenging. This animal is around all year and many of the most remarkable events in the fox’s life in fact take place in winter; for example during the mating season.”
Hersteinsson was an important pioneer in making use of new technologies in his research to acquire more accurate data on the animal’s behaviour in large areas. As soon as the use of radio equipment became feasible in surveying wild animals, Hersteinsson made use of the technology. “I was the first one to use this on the arctic fox. Scientists from Alaska followed my lead when important funds were allocated to ecology research in connection with the search and utilisation of oil.”
Hersteinsson was a prolific scientist. He wrote extensively on Icelandic mammals and was the editor of a book on Thingvellir Lake with Pétur M. Jónasson, Professor in Copenhagen. The book received widespread attention and received the Icelandic Literary Prize for non-fiction in 2002. His books on fox research in Ófeigsfjörður and in Hornstrandir are also well known. Some of Hersteinsson’s findings have been published in international science journals as well as domestic ones. “I have, for example, argued that the northern limits of the propagation of the red fox is determined by the food supply, whereas the southern limits are determined by competition with the Arctic fox. Recent research in Scandinavia indicates strongly that this theory is correct.” To clarify; the red fox is common in Europe but is not found in Iceland.
Hersteinsson also collaborated with international scientists and proved, with them, that the Arctic fox in Iceland has been mostly isolated from the end of the last glacial period and is very distantly related to other stocks of this species. Whether there are grounds to protect the fox from being hunted in certain areas where it is protected, as it is in Hornstrandir, has been controversial . Some are of the opinion that conservation such as that one can have negative effects on the ecosystem in the area.
“The objective with most reserves is that nature should have it course there,” said Hersteinsson on the issue. “Unfortunately the status of the bird stock was not researched before the preservation of the fox in 1 July 1994; so we do not know whether the preservation has had any decisive influence on bird species. It is also debatable what are negative and what are positive effects on an ecosystem. Some might argue that it had a negative impact when man changes the combination of species in a certain area and that such activity is not fitting in reserves.”
Even though Hersteinsson had researched the fox for a long time he claimed not to have a stronger bond with it than other wild species in nature. “However, I disapprove of people feeding the fox during winter, under the pretence that they are going to hunt, having a positive impact on the animals’ fertility and consequently of the growth and number. Thus people seem to be caught in a vicious circle. Furthermore, all hate talk about Icelandic nature, including the fox, irritates me immensely.”
Asked how the fox manages to survive the cold Icelandic winter Hersteinsson answered very quickly: “The fox is not dainty!”
