Based on their observations in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, two wildlife researchers have said that the guard dogs used by shepherds to guard their sheep and cattle are competing with the Himalayan red fox for food.

However, forest department officials refute such a conflict scenario stating that the red fox is wildier than the domesticated dog.Wildlife researchers Vipul Maurya and lisha Hazary state that during their field research in this region they observed that the dogs guarding the shepherds’ flocks in high altitude pastures were observed in direct conflict with the much smaller Red Fox over the limited food availability. 

Therefore, understanding such interaction can be critical when conservation of the subordinate competitor is a management goal. However, the NDBR director VK Gangte said that such conflict cannot arise because the fox is craftier than domesticated dogs. “Being a wild animal, the fox is more adapted to secure food for itself than the domesticated dogs,” he stressed while adding that the dogs are not threatening the food source of the foxes. Red foxes are generally characterised as opportunistic predators and scavengers that eat a wide variety of foods depending on seasonal availability. Small and medium sized mammals dominate the diet, with birds, insects, fruit, carrion, garbage and other foods important seasonally.

Within its habitat in the Greater Himalayan region, especially Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, the red fox faces competition from other wild scavengers and predators like Tibetan Wolf, Himalayan Black bear, leopards and possibly snow leopards as well.