For Wonders of The Monsoon we were the first BBC wildlife series to feature the incredibly cute Indian Desert Fox as seen in episode 3 'The Drought'. But to film this adorable sequence meant that producer Nick Lyon and Cameraman Barrie Britton, had to spend a month working in harsh conditions and searing desert heat in Rann of Kutch, India.
“It was worth it to tell their story” said Nick, ”but I can understand why they’ve never been filmed before.” “First of all its incredibly difficult to find their dens, we had to rely on the local knowledge of a tracker Samad Khan, who spent several months searching.”
And if finding them was tough, filming them was to be a test of endurance for Nick and Barrie. “Indian desert foxes survive in conditions that make for extremely uncomfortable filming. We'd spend up to 12 hours a day cramped in small hides out on the exposed salt pan with temperatures reaching more than 40degreesC.”
The fact that foxes survive out here at all might seem surprising, but like British foxes, these desert foxes are incredibly versatile. “I particularly enjoyed seeing how our wild desert foxes in India showed the same ingenuity as red foxes in the UK.” said Nick :Whilst being accomplished hunters they will never turn down a free meal." “There was a salt mine nearby and the adult foxes would watch large trucks trundle past and then check the network of dirt tracks for an unlucky rabbit in the headlights.”
(Photo: Kalyan Varma who was part of the BBC crew)
(Photo: Kalyan Varma who was part of the BBC crew)
(Photo: Kalyan Varma who was part of the BBC crew)