Instead of an occasional cat or dog casually strutting around town, residents of Biograd and the rest of the wider Zadar area are running into a different type of visitor these days.

A large number of foxes wandering around populated areas has been reported in recent weeks, according to Slobodna Dalmacija. It seems the enigmatic animals have become somewhat domesticated, as they are so adapted to their new urban surroundings, they move around freely and aren't afraid of people. Seeing a fox in front of your house, sometimes even accompanied by a cub, is now a normal daily occurence.

The largest number has been reported in Crvena luka and Biograd, where local residents keep getting visited by the uninvited guests. They say the foxes seem to be tame, as they approach houses without any fear. They can be seen on the streets and on beaches, and they don't run away from people; they seem to especially like making house visits and sniffing around trash cans in the local yards.

The phenomenon is a likely result of the recent wildfires in Dalmatia, according to agriculture engineer Žarko Lovrinov. All the fires that ravaged inland Dalmatia this summer might have driven the foxes away from their natural habitat and into the urban zone.

"If they really are behaving like domesticated animals, that isn't a good sign because a 'tame' fox has always been an indicator of possible rabies infection. I haven't received any particular information about the appearance of foxes in the area. There's an occasional report of a fox slaughtering a chicken, but this is considered a normal occurrence. I wouldn't pay any attention to this; I live in Biograd and I have yet to hear anything about an increased number of foxes from the local farmers. They complain about the wolves more often than about foxes. If there really is a larger number of foxes than usual, it must be a consequence of fires that have taken away the animals' natural habitats, making them scatter around the area", said Lovrinov.

Veterinarian Toni Kurtov from Biograd said there shouldn't be any fear of rabies. "There are fox litters around Crvena luka, but these are domesticated foxes that don't present any danger of rabies. We haven't had a case of a rabies-infected fox in four years, and systematic oral vaccination of foxes has been carried out for two years now", Kurtov stated.

The foxes seen in Biograd area and the rest of the Zadar County aren't likely to be dangerous, but one should still be cautious. Foxes are wild animals, and however cute they might look, they certainly shouldn't be seen as a pet.

Translation of excerpts from Slobodna Dalmacija.