A pair of red foxes is to be released into the wild in October as part of a national project to restore the population of the mammal, believed to have gone extinct in South Korea.

The pair, born and raised in Seoul Zoo, will undergo a month-long adjustment program before the release on Mount Sobaek, North Gyeongsang Province, in a facility in the mountain, designed to help them adapt to nature.

They are among eight offspring of 10 foxes, brought from North Korea in 2008 to the zoo. The duo was chosen for their healthy condition and higher possibility of a successful adjustment into the wild, the Environmental Ministry said. They also underwent DNA tests to ensure that they are of the same species that once inhabited in South Korea.

The foxes will be tagged with tracking devices to monitor their lives in the wild around the clock. Based on the research, researchers will decide whether to release more foxes.

“The foxes will be closely monitored ― what they eat, where they shelter and how they spend the day,” said Jung Chul-un, head of the species restoration center at the Korea National Park Service.

The ministry aims to increase the number of species that inhabit Mount Sobaek to 50 by 2020, which officials hope will lead to a healthy fox population in Korea.

Red foxes have not been spotted in the wild in South Korea since the carcass of a male fox was found in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, in 2004.

Foxes are nocturnal and carnivorous, and should pose no threat to hikers, the researchers said.

Red foxes are among the three mammals that Korea is trying to restore. Two others are Asiatic black bears on Mount Jiri and goats on Mount Seorak.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)