A gorgeous Himalayan red fox was seen on the road near Pangong Tso, a large, picturesque lake between China and the Ladakh region of India.
What's happening?
A tourist, Sidharth Shukla, caught the vulpine beauty on camera and posted the video to Instagram, writing: "When Ladakh surprises you with its wild beauty. Stopped by Pangong Tso and met this beautiful red fox — a moment I'll never forget. Nature always knows how to leave you speechless."
In the video, people can be heard oohing and aahing over the creature. According to The Indian Express, someone thought it might be a good idea to offer some food to the animal, and someone else in the video dissuades them, correctly so.
Parveen Kaswan of the Indian Forest Service even reposted the video on the social platform X, writing, "Somebody has clearly given her food last time. That is why she is expecting and roaming on road."
Why is it important not to feed wild animals?
When human beings interact with animals, they become desensitized to being in contact with people. This is dangerous for both humans and animals. Animals that learn that food comes from people may go so far as to attack, and the result for them is often death.
According to the BBC, "Carnivores that recognize humans as a means to get food are a different story. … They become less avoidant of humans. Losing that instinctive fear response puts them into more situations where they could get into an altercation with a human."
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Even a lovely animal like a fox can create a threat, like this rabid fox in Maine. It's even more deadly when beasts such as grizzly bears, like these in Alberta, Canada, are emboldened to approach humans.
What's being done about encounters between people and wild animals?
Many parks and forests have signage and rules about interacting with animals. The issue is that some people choose to ignore those guidelines, even though they are there to protect people. Media attention and social media accounts such as Tourons of National Parks (@touronsofnationalparks) help spread awareness.
Everyday people like Shukla and Kaswan, who publicize the beauty of the natural world and the importance of protecting it, do their part, too.
Commenters on Shukla's video lauded the person who intervened to stop someone from feeding the fox.
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Definitely 👍 "Good job by not feeding it. People need to understand that feeding a wild animal is not good for the wild characteristics of that animal," they wrote.
Another person replied: "Wildlife conservation, including all humans, is to try and protect them at all cost, including not feeding them on road and also by notifying conservationist any that it is injured."
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