Wild fox follows crocodile, panther into Hyderabad city

Habitat destruction poses major threat
U Sudhakar Reddy
After panthers and crocodile now it's the turn of Fox to sneak into the city. Residents of Nagole woke up to see a wild fox moving in their locality from house to house on Sunday morning. The female fox aged two to three years lost it's way to from the Vanasthalipuram jungle into Sainagar Colony in Nagole.
As kids who are playing on the roads raised alarm and screaming at the fox a woman called up the forest anti poaching squad who along with Nehru Zoological park authorities caught it and shifted to zoo. An employee of an MNC Ms D Suma Reddy daughter of a retired
Motor Vehicle Inspector Mr D S Reddy says ,"when we saw it we were doubtful whether it was a dog or a fox. Colony kids were screaming at the fox. It was very mild and not wild. It was shivering and trembling as it saw so many people.,"
The incident took place around 10.35 am in road number 4 of Srinagar Colony.
Anti Poaching Squad Forest Range Officer Mr Raja Ramana Reddy said ,"After we received information we rushed to spot and confirmed it as a fox. It has injury on left limb. We rescued it and shifted it to Zoo park. It may have sneaked out of Vanasthalipuram national park which is spread over 3600 acres of land. There are four reserve forest blocks
that spread from Vanasthalipuram, Nagole and Dammaigudem,"
He added that fox is a protected wild species under part 2 of Schedule 2 of Wild Life Protection Act.
"Usually in groups the fox hunt for their prey deer. It may lost the route," said Ramana Reddy.
Increased human intervention in the forests and destruction of forest habitat are another reasons why the wild animals are sneaking out of
the forest. In another incident Forest officials rescued a wild animal of Cat family in Krishnakanth park in Yousufguda on Sunday evening.
"We are yet to identify the species of cat. It is a protected wild animal," said Mr Raja Ramana Reddy.