AZE.US
Residents across Baku are reporting more frequent sightings of foxes in residential courtyards, parks and city streets.
Some of the animals have been seen approaching apartment buildings and moving through populated areas at night and early in the morning. In several cases, residents have tried to feed them.
Experts say the increase in sightings is linked to shrinking natural habitats and the easy availability of food in the city. Open trash containers, food waste, vacant lots, basements and unfinished buildings can all attract foxes.
Zulfugar Iskandarov, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology, said urban development has increasingly pushed wild animals out of their traditional habitats.
As natural food sources decline, predators are more likely to enter residential areas in search of food, he said. Although foxes usually avoid people, attacks and injuries can occur.
Elshad Asgarov, head of the World Wildlife Fund’s Azerbaijan office, said it would be misleading to describe the animals as having “moved” into Baku.
He said the city itself has expanded into areas that were once part of the foxes’ natural habitat. The animals can now find food easily and raise their young in abandoned buildings, basements and undeveloped areas.
Experts also warn that some foxes may carry rabies. Residents are advised not to approach, touch or feed the animals, especially in areas where children are present.
Anyone who sees a fox in a residential area, park or other public space should contact the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources through its 168 hotline.
The ministry said its teams can capture the animals and return them to the wild.
AZE.US