The Game Fund said on Monday people should not be alarmed by the sight of foxes and their cubs roaming around urban neighbourhoods at this time of the year.
Petros Anayiotis said there was no reason for people to be afraid.
It is normal for them to roam around with their offspring, of which they have around four to six, he said.
“They are looking for food, birds, rats and rubbish,” he said. “It is the rubbish which brings them close to humans.”
“The coronavirus and the fact it was quiet in the streets has not changed their behaviour. They have not been afraid of humans for years.”
There are advantages to their presence, he added, as they hunt for rodents, but also disadvantages. “They may have diseases and eat small kittens.”
When foxes have offspring they prefer to live in dens, which explains their presence in places such as Aglandjia where there are caves. The area also has a lot of trees where foxes can find cover, but they also stay in any other open area with sufficient cover.
According to the local government website, the fox is an endemic subspecies of Cyprus and the only carnivorous mammal of the island.
“It can be found in many areas even though its population has been constantly declining over the last two decades. Ecologists consider the fox a useful animal with an important role in the ecosystems. In Cyprus, there is still great prejudice against this sympathetic animal.”
