Md. Masud Khan, Munshiganj (South)

The remote villages of Gazaria Upazila in Munshiganj are experiencing a significant increase in fox activity.

 While daytime fox movement is somewhat less, villagers are severely troubled by foxes at night. Foxes are constantly raiding chicken coops and duck sheds, and if given the chance, they even attack people. While their presence is less noticeable in the dry season, their incursions into human settlements have increased with the onset of the monsoon.

Though foxes are commonly seen in the bush near agricultural fields between Alipura and Bhaberchar villages in Bhaberchar Union, and near the Gazaria API Industrial Park, the rising monsoon waters have pushed them closer to residential areas.

Wildlife experts state that these animals, crucial for maintaining ecological balance, previously inhabited burrows in fields and large forests. However, extensive deforestation and new residential construction are destroying fox habitats, forcing them to live closer to human settlements.

Several housewives, including the wife of Solaiman Bhoiya from Puran Baushia village in Baushia Union, reported that five to six years ago, they could raise chickens and ducks, consume them, share with relatives, and even sell the surplus at year-end to buy household necessities. However, for the past two years, raising poultry has become difficult due to the fox menace. She mentioned that in the last week alone, foxes carried away one of her domestic ducks and 15 to 20 other chickens and ducks from neighboring houses. Villagers are fed up with the fox attacks.

Ramjan from Dakkhin Para in Madhya Laxmipur village shared, "I had plans to set up a poultry farm, but after seeing the fox problem, I decided against it. There are fox problems at night, and during the day, foxes roam openly in the village. Initially, I wondered where all these dogs came from. Later, I learned that foxes move in packs and these were not dogs, but foxes." Sheikh Rafiqul Islam of Bara Bhaterchar village added, "In our area, besides the nocturnal fox menace, we are seeing foxes in daylight. What's the way out of this?"

Local residents recall a time when foxes were common in the Bhaberchar Central Graveyard area, and many people were attacked by them while returning from the market. For about 20-25 years, foxes were less common in the Baushia area. However, their numbers have surged again since the construction of the API Industrial Park began.

Professor Dr. Bidhan Chandra Das of the Wildlife Department stated that numerous wild animals reside in the bushes and forests of the country, with foxes being one of the most recognizable. Two types of foxes are found in Bangladesh: the common fox (পাতি শেয়াল) and the Bengal fox (খ্যাক শেয়াল). Common foxes used to inhabit grasslands, plains, hilly forests, deciduous forests, and villages. Common foxes prey on domestic chickens, ducks, and goats.

Dr. Regan Molla, Gazaria Upazila Livestock Officer, confirmed, "I have heard reports of fox attacks from poultry farmers in various parts of the Upazila. We arrange for vaccines if animals are bitten. He advised people not to panic about the fox menace, emphasizing that foxes help agriculture by consuming various insects and rodents, and thus maintain the balance of nature. Additionally, common foxes help prevent the spread of foul odors and germs by scavenging on carcasses."