Take my fox, please!

I just thought this was wierd.

The tale of a fox out of its element

M. Madan Mohan

HUBLI: In what may well provide a modern-day twist to ancient tales featuring its art and cunning, a nervous fox has become something of a celebrity in a northern Karnataka village. And everyone is waiting for its next move.

This is the story of a fox, which on June 16 strayed into the house of Channabasappa Hadkar, a farm labourer of Chebbi village, about 15 km from here. Foxes are known to be endemic but extremely elusive, as is their wont, in this region.

The female fox, which entered the pooja-cum-kitchen room of a typical village house and took position next to the pedestal called the "virabhadra gaddige" where the family deities are kept, has not come out of the room even once, although the doors have been kept open for three days and nights.

The unexpected visitor has almost become a member of the family after a week's stay. A symbiotic relationship appears to have developed between the family and the animal. A week of coexistence has changed the perspective on both sides. It sits quietly, pensively, in a corner as the family members go through their daily pooja rituals of lighting the lamp and burning incense sticks. It shrinks away from human contact.

Iravva, the woman of the house and mother of three, said that initially she was afraid. Was it a mad dog that had strayed into the house, she had wondered. She had even picked up a stick to shoo it away. "Once I came to know it was a fox, I felt relieved. We kept the doors open for three nights for the animal to move out. It did not but continued to stay put. We were all worried and anxious when it did not take food for two days. We are now glad that it is taking food, some rice and milk, which are offered periodically. We have begun to love it as the days pass and have taken a liking to it."

"Why should we dislike the fox? It has not harmed anybody so far," says Mr. Channabasappa. They have a dog, but it has not been allowed near the fox. "Its behaviour over the days has made us feel there is something divine in the unexpected visit. We are convinced that something good will come out of this," says Mr. Channabasappa, who has consulted village elders and astrologers about the strange occurrence.

The family faced some disconcerting moments when officials of the Forest Department came calling on Tuesday with a request to hand over the animal to them. They indicated that keeping a wild animal in a domestic situation could constitute a punishable offence. However, Mr. Channabasappa's young daughter told them that the animal had come of its own and there was no question of driving it away.

On the seventh day on Thursday, the animal sat huddled in a corner. "An effort made by the Forest Department officials to catch it apparently scared it. And camera flashes added to its nervousness," said a family member.

How long will the fox stay? A number of curious people from nearby villages have come to the house to have a look. Many of them speculate feverishly, but the family members are not too worried.

It is not immediately clear which specific species this animal belongs to. According to the website of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), in addition to the nearly ubiquitous red fox, the widely distributed golden jackal, and the wolf, four canid species are found in south Asia: the dhole, the Bengal fox, the corsac fox, and the Tibetan fox. In South-East Asia, canids are represented by three species: the dhole, the golden jackal, and the dingo.

All eyes are now on the Forest Department. Its officials were expected to come calling again on Wednesday. E. Vidyasagar, Conservator of Forests, Dharwad, said that it was not a good idea to let the fox stay. "It has to be removed and kept in the zoo or let out in the forests," he told The Hindu. They would work out a strategy to entice it out of the house, he said.