Have you come across a fox? They are increasingly seen in cities, experts explain if they might attack people

Photo: Shutterstock/Sytilin Pavel

Urban foxes showing up in cities in Serbia is an increasingly common event, and the reason for this is the expansion of urban into rural areas.

Recommended

As is the case elsewhere in the world, foxes occasionally walk through Novi Sad. The assistant Vojvodina provincial secretary for agriculture, water management and forestry, Nemanja Ivanovic, confirms that there is no need to panic about possible attacks by urban foxes.

"In Vojvodina, oral vaccination of foxes against rabies has been carried out since 2006. Foxes come into town looking for food. Municipal waste and food scraps should be deposited in dumpsters, and therefore they will be seen less often. As for the fear, there is no room for it because foxes do not attack people. Provided they are healthy. These situations are very rare in Serbia. When we are able, we appeal on hunters to pass through certain parts of the territory with dogs, so that the foxes move away," he told nsuzivo.rs.

"The Zvezdara Forest in Belgrade has had its own urban fox population for 30 years. The city of Basel reported a population of urban foxes in its parks at the end of the 80s, and so did London. The appearance of foxes is not something that is frightening, nor can they physically threaten a person. Foxes mainly feed on small rodents, fruits and vegetables, but also on municipal food waste. If you come across a fox, just walk on, in 90 percent of cases they will seek to avoid the humans," Ivanovic said.

He added that owners of animals, whether domestic or pets, are required by the Animal Welfare Law and the Veterinary Law to make sure that their animals do not come into contact with foxes.

(Telegraf.rs/nsuzivo.rs)