The elusive Bengal fox faces a myriad of threats – from hunting to habitat loss, and has disappeared from much of its traditional geographical range across Tamil Nadu. File
| Photo Credit: E. Lakshmi Narayanan
In traditional Sangam literature, references to the iconic Bengal fox (Vulpes bengalensis) speak of their ubiquity in the dry, arid grasslands of south India. However, over the years, expanding agriculture and urbanisation into the species’ traditional strongholds, coupled with hunting have resulted in the fox becoming a sort of enigma, with sightings becoming increasingly more sparse in recent years.
In fact, the species is so little studied that the Tamil Nadu Forest Department itself has only a rough understanding of the species’ distribution, while there is almost no data on its population trends.
Published – July 01, 2026 06:00 am IST