KOCHI: It was after vociferous demands from the residents of Karumalloor panchayat that the forest department finally laid three cages to trap foxes in the village near North Paravoor. But nearly three months on, not a single fox has fallen into the trap, but tortoises, dogs, mongooses, palm civets, and what not! Fed up, the villagers are now all set to experiment with live bait in the cage.
The forest officials from the Malayattoor division had set up the cages in July after villagers, mostly farmers complained of foxes in packs attacking poultry and pets at night. According to the villagers, there has been a sudden increase in the population of the species first spotted in the region after the 2018 flood.
“Many continue to spot the foxes which catch poultry. We can hear the shrill shrieks of the wild creatures during the night. It is believed that one or two might have washed ashore in the 2018 flood. Now, their population has spiralled. More than anything, it’s the fear of rabies that is worrying us. These animals attack or cross-breed with dogs and other pet animals, increasing the rabies threat,” said panchayat president Sreelatha Lalu.
Manakkapady, which lies on the Aluva-Paravoor route, is the most affected. The animals can also be sighted in many areas in the panchayat, including Thattampady, Puthukkadu, Muriyakkal, and Mambra.
“During the day, they withdraw into the wild growth and bushes on the isolated stretches along the banks of the Periyar and the paddy fields,” she added.
While the foxes continue to evade the traps, it is mainly street and pet dogs that are trapped after being enticed by the buffalo meat and bone pieces used as bait, said Laiju K M, ward member of Manakkapady North. “On multiple occasions, tortoises, mongooses, and palm civets too got trapped, and we released them,” he said.
In between, one of the cages disappeared. “That was after some local youths threw the cage into a canal nearby after their dogs got trapped. We found the cage and restored it,” Laiju said.
The villagers now plan to put some live bait, like duck or hen, in the cages.
“We’ve been placing buffalo meat and bones as instructed by the forest officials. But these creatures hunt live prey, mostly poultry. Also we’ll request the forest department to put up more cages near the bushes,” he added.
When contacted, a forest official from Malayattoor division agreed that live baits would prove more effective. “We’ll inquire into the details and take more action if necessary,” he said.