Edhat reader Daniel spotted a fox near a parking lot of Santa Barbara City College on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
This is likely a non-native Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), which have established populations along the south coast since the 1970s.
According to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, red foxes first appeared in the Carpinteria area and were probably the result of individuals releasing pets. They are now the dominant species of fox found in the more developed areas of the county.
Read more from the museum here.
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I’m the “local expert” on them. I can say this because I spend about 4 hours every single day on campus, in the evenings and early morning hours. Rain or shine. There are 4 fox families living in various spots on both sides of campus. The one pictured is named “Butter”. A mother. Her mate is Jelly (very red colored) and their offspring is Peanut. I have names for all of them and know their hunting times, routes, and where their dens are. There are also 3 coyotes on campus. Fortunately they are allowing the foxes to hunt and have not hunted them (yet, it could happen). A mother hybrid coyo-dog (actual name) appeared on campus about 9 months ago, spotted in the ravine on West campus behind beach city. It appeared to be a possibly coyote/German shepherd mix. No joke. Fish & game said, yes absolutely and they also received a call from family living up in Paradise off the 154 a week prior to my call, they spotted 3 coyo-dogs as well. Anyways, please do not disturb them, do NOT feed them, and please keep your distance. The foxes are beautiful, fun to observe from a distance and very CUTE. I’ve spent hours watching them learn to hunt (the pups), watching them play and chase leaves during windy fall evenings, i’ve watched them try to sneak up on my secret observation spot and steal my bag of pretzels (true story!!). They worked in tandem that time, one distracting me being all cute and playful while the dad snuck around the backside and tried to take my bag of snacks haha. Campus is also home to many great horned owls, red tailed hawks, skunks, rabbits, rats, possums, skinks, lizards, garter snakes, king snakes, various birds, and many raccoon families including a very rare leucistic raccoon (almost albino, muted coloration, but retaining pigment in eyes and snout). I named him Caramel. He likes my dog, my dog likes him. Enjoy your time viewing our wonderful neighbors and again, please keep your distance, don’t feed, don’t approach and allow them to do their thing.
Sounds like SBCC campus has got some serious and very natural rodent control. I hope SBCC appreciates this and never resorts to use of any type of rodenticides.
@KNein: Thank you for advocating common sense and helping keep these animals safe.
You got it! It’s a passion of mine and since I’m there so much, I work with Campus Safety on several levels, including the animals. SBCC and the local neighbors all love what we have and everyone treats them with respect. There are no pesticides being used there. The campus can get overrun with rodents during specific times of the year and we’ll watch the predators shift to new hunting grounds on campus depending on where the pests/food is. Currently the rodents are back in the gardens near the stadium, hence fresh fox leavings and some coyote poop as well. I even found a pellet from a great horned owl there last night. All good healthy signs of pest control. These foxes are my friends. They seem interested in me now that I’ve spent a few years watching them and keep distance but keep myself present as well. The fox in the photo has a liking to me and my daughter and one of our dogs. She has walked toward us before, about 20 feet up. Sat there, stared at us, watched us (we simply sat down and had the dog sit behind us). She sniffed the air, walked away slowly. I know where her and her family live and will always keep their den locations private which I’m sure you understand. Thanks for noticing my efforts.