After a bear was spotted on Vratnik settlement in Sarajevo on Thursday, moving in the direction of the city, a fox was also spotted in the Olympic village of Mojmilo on the same day. Citizens report that during the past few days they have also seen foxes in the Dobroševići settlement, Municipality of Novi Grad Sarajevo.
The President of the Cantonal Association of Hunting Associations of Sarajevo Canton, Muris Mujanović, speaking about the reasons for the appearance of wild animals in the city, told Fena news agency that it is a complex problem because people, by urbanizing areas and expanding their habitats, destroy the natural habitats of animals.
“The very act of disrupting the natural environment where animals live leads to the mixing of people and animals, which unfortunately often happens to the detriment of the animals. It is a global problem that is present everywhere. And Sarajevo is located in a hilly and mountainous area that is home to many species of animals,” Mujanović explained.
He is of the opinion that the human factor is to blame, because natural habitats where animals live are usurped, but animals are also looking for food.
“ATVs are driven around the natural habitat of animals. Mostly, their habitat has been disturbed. There are a number of factors. In most cases it is man’s fault, from excursions, motor vehicles, quads, which usually seek some unexplored wild areas. So now it happens that you have 200 quads that have a thousand and more decibels of noise, in the habitat where they live. In the present period, which is about the time when animals gives birth to its young, we disturb the balance and we drive that game. A fox is an animal that feeds e.g. small rodents and is very important for the ecosystem. However, like any living being, she seeks relief for herself. It is much more difficult to catch a mouse than a chicken in a yard,” said Mujanović.
He is of the opinion that all organized societies allocate a lot of time and resources for the protection of game, for national parks and protected areas.
“We are one of the countries in Europe with the lowest percentage of protected areas. We should leave an intact ecosystem to our future generations. We must all be at the service of nature and animals. Hunters and hunting associations are primarily concerned with the protection of game, and only after that with those sports or human drives that have lasted since prehistoric times. We have to arrange a system in which we will protect wild animals, in which we will bring them enough food as far as possible from contact with people, and the situation will be much better,” Mujanović said.
