Only weeks had passed since the nighttime appearance of the Egyptian mongoose in the residential area of one of the cities of the Egyptian governorate of Fayoum, when the same governorate, which has a wide desert hinterland surrounding its agricultural lands, was about to witness a new phenomenon that came in conjunction with a severe heat wave, which is the sighting of foxes roaming near residential areas and farms.
While the appearance of the mongoose was limited to only one animal spotted in the streets of Abshway, the reaction to the appearance of the foxes was more intense, after more than one fox was spotted at night in the streets of Tamiya, in a phenomenon that raised concerns among the residents, who began to wonder if there was a link between the strange appearance of the two animals.
The Director of Veterinary Medicine and the Director General of the Environmental Affairs Agency branch in Fayoum: The appearance of the Egyptian mongoose in one of the streets of Abshway does not pose a danger to citizens.
Dr. Mohamed Adel Qadri, Professor of Zoology at Cairo University, told Al Jazeera Net that the appearance of the Egyptian mongoose is not surprising. He attributed the fear that accompanied its appearance to the fact that the new generations are not used to its appearance, but the older generations know this animal, which has historically been associated with agricultural environments, canals and riverbanks, more than with deserts.
The mongoose feeds on rodents, snakes, insects, and small birds, which are abundant prey in farms and rural villages. The movement of these prey increases during periods of extreme heat, as the intense heat drives them to approach sources of water and food within residential areas. This explains why mongooses were spotted at night near residential areas during a severe heat wave on a day in July.
Qadri explains that the heat wave is the link between the appearance of mongooses and foxes, even though their habitats differ. The fox, which lives in desert areas and depends for its food on small pools of water and prey such as rodents and wild rabbits, suffers during severe heat waves from the drying up of those pools and the migration of its natural prey to where the sources of water and food are located in villages and cities. The fox follows them in search of its food, which explains the link between its appearance in villages and cities and the heat wave, especially when the villages and cities are close to desert areas, as in the case of Fayoum.
From scarcity to normality
Qadri cannot be certain that these incidents are unprecedented, as they may have occurred in past decades, but social media platforms that spread them had not yet emerged.
He says that "more of these incidents should be expected due to climate change, which is leading to higher average temperatures, increased frequency of heat waves and droughts, and increased pressure on natural habitats, such as declining natural water sources, changes in the distribution and availability of prey, the deterioration or shrinkage of some natural environments, and an increased need to search for more suitable areas for survival."
Numerous studies have documented changes in the ranges of some mammals, birds, reptiles, and wild animals in response to climate change. One such study, published on the Scholars Archive, showed that drought associated with climate change not only affects fox populations but also alters their ability to survive and reproduce by reducing available food and water resources.
Qadri says that “if long periods of drought have led to a decrease in the reproduction and survival rates of some fox populations, especially in resource-limited environments, then similarly, the severe heat waves and drought that Egypt has witnessed in recent years have reduced the availability of water and prey within the natural habitats of foxes, prompting them to expand their range of movements and move closer to agricultural areas and villages in search of more stable sources of water and food.”
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