The Tibetan Fox, also known as the Tibetan Sand Fox, is a small breed of fox that lives in the high altitude grassland plains of the Tibetan Plateau, China and India. In India they are found in Sikkim and Ladakh states. They have also been found in the Himalayan slopes of Nepal.
They are characterized by soft, thick red fur with a grey undercoat and a white underbelly with a long, bushy tail that has a white tip. Their dense coat protects them from the fierce winds of the barren landscape.
Tibetan fox are best known for their uniquely square-shaped face and small, triangular ears that are set close to their head. Perhaps the square-shape is to facilitate hunting skills. These foxes have a very keen sense of hearing, making them excellent hunters.
This fox lives in a burrow or hollow most of the time in abandoned Marmot holes.
They hunt voles, pikas, marmots, lizards, insects, birds and also scavange on the remains of creatures.
They are not very territorial. Their mating is usually at the end of winter around February and March and they give birth to about 2-4 kits after a gestation period of about 60 days. The kits are raised in holes or burrows and they are with the parents till they are about 8-10 months old. Both the parents feed the kits and many a times the grown up kits occupy places close to the territory of their parents.
They are known to live for about 6-7 years and they are know to mate for life.
I chanced upon a mother and her two kits while on a visit to Hanle Village in Ladakh district. I went there to photograph a Pallas cat mother with her two kittens, but they had taken shelter on a mountain ridge, and the mother was extremely wary of human presence. So, I decided to give up trying to photograph the cats to avoid disturbing them and focused on the fox instead.
These are very shy animals and the mother kept a distance of about 100- 150 meters from the road where we had parked our car and were shooting from inside the car. It was very difficult to spot them through the grass most of the time.
I spent 12 days on the road trying to photograph them whenever the light permitted. Since the ground is always cold the heat haze starts to affect the images as soon as the Sun is out above the horizon.
Additionally, the subjects were always far, therefore I had to depend on the longest lens 840 mm shot in DX mode. Some images were taken with the 2x Converter to get the subject at least in 20% of the frame.
This family had chosen a field very close to the village for some reason but I guessed they felt safer there, just like the wolves, who were also local residents. Nevertheless, their lives are not free of challenges. As these animals are very shy (and for a good reason) they scamper to the next available hole whenever they spot any human walking in the field or whenever the shepards, sheep, and the sheep dogs come closer.
Threats to the Tibetan Fox at Hanle village
Domestic Dogs:
The first threat to foxes existence is from the dogs whom I found everywhere inside and around Hanle. I heard many incidents of them killing the young individuals of several species, such as Red and Sand foxes, and even an adult Pallas cat. . Dogs can also prey upon ground nesting and other birds, such as the Black necked crane which migrates to this place to breed each year.
Dogs have been present around all human settlements from historic times and, in Hanle, their population was much higher compared to the other wildlife destinations I have visited so far. Despite the damage caused by the dogs, wildlife still persists thanks to their tact and perseverance. However, I can easily make out that the wildlife numbers would increase if the dog population were brought under control.
A possible solution for this issue would be the mass spaying of the bitches, reducing the problem to some extent. Proper disposal of food waste too can help in reducing the population of these dogs.
Traffic and Bikers:
The second threat comes from the traffic. In the total three weeks I stayed at Hanle in from July to August, five times I witnessed the Kiangs almost getting run over by vehicles as they crossed the road. The Sand Fox mother and two kits were crossing the road almost vey often and I am not sure how many times they have come close to being a roadkill.
The threat posed by the bikers in this fragile ecosystem is very grave. Several times, we stopped to warn bikers not to ride on the meadows, explaining that it could harm ground-nesting birds, destroy their nests and eggs. The dust they stir up, especially when ten or more bikers thunder on the mountain paths suffocated me and I can imagine the plight of poor wildlife.
We urgently need speed breakers on the road passing through the wild areas, sign boards with a clear message to reduce speed, strict penalties on the offenders and a ban on the drivers/riders from entering Hanle if they repeat the offence.
Wolves:
The hamlet also houses the Himalayan wolves and they pose a natural threat to the Tibetan Fox. To avoid the wolves the local foxes have adapted to hunting well after sunrise and in to the mid-day when the wolves are usually resting. But the threat from the Wolves is nothing compared to the threat they face due to human activity.
Towards the end of my stay with this Fox family the mother and the kits separated and the young were seen hunting not very far from the den where they were raised. I did not see the father of the kits all through my stay, but I hope he is around somewhere close so this couple can raise their next brood soon.
