To find the number of foxes after 36 years, we first need to determine how many 12-year periods are in 36 years.
\[ \text{Number of periods} = \frac{36 \text{ years}}{12 \text{ years/period}} = 3 \text{ periods} \]
Next, we will use the function \( y = 60 \times 4^x \) and substitute \( x = 3 \):
\[ y = 60 \times 4^3 \]
Now, we calculate \( 4^3 \):
\[ 4^3 = 4 \times 4 \times 4 = 64 \]
Now substituting this back into the equation:
\[ y = 60 \times 64 \]
Now, we perform the multiplication:
\[ y = 3840 \]
Thus, after 36 years, there will be 3840 foxes in the wildlife preserve.