Landmark Telugu wildlife documentary on Indian Fox to show survival challenges in Vikarabad grassland

Hyderabad: Telangana is set to witness the launch of its first Telugu wildlife documentary focusing on the Ramnathgudpalle Grassland, a significant yet vulnerable ecosystem near Mominpet in Vikarabad district.

Titled ‘Indian Fox – Fighting Habitat Loss,’ the film documents the daily life, challenges and survival strategies of the Indian fox, a species closely tied to the health of the State’s grasslands.

A rare look at a lesser-known grassland

The Ramnathgudpalle Grassland, one of the largest grassland ecosystems in Telangana, falls under Ramnathgudpalle village limits. The landscape supports blackbucks, wolves, foxes, hares and a variety of migratory and resident bird species.

Despite its ecological value, the area faces mounting pressure due to non-resident human activity, expanding agriculture, local grazing practices, and unregulated land use.

The documentary highlights these threats through the journey of a male Indian fox as he navigates the terrain, raises his pups, and encounters both natural and human-driven challenges.

Narrated in Telugu by actor Navdeep

Actor Navdeep has lent his voice to the project, making it Telangana’s first wildlife documentary narrated in Telugu. The makers aim to reach local communities and policymakers more effectively by using a regional language and familiar voice.

Director speaks on poster launch and conservation push

According to director Chinnaboina Pradeep Kumar, the film is the outcome of years of fieldwork and documentation.

“The official poster of the documentary was unveiled recently,” he said, noting that the team had spent three years submitting multiple conservation proposals to the Forest Department and the Telangana State Biodiversity Board.

“Our requests focus on protecting this unique landscape before it undergoes irreversible change,” Pradeep Kumar added.

The proposals include mapping the grassland, regulating non-resident activities and recognising the area as an ecologically sensitive zone.

Production team and visual approach

The documentary’s cinematography is handled by Ch. Avinash, PVR Harikrishna, Sanjay K, and Pradeep Kumar, capturing the openness of the grassland, den sites, prey–predator interactions, and the rhythm of the landscape across seasons.

Gripping aerial sequences were filmed by Sanjay and Sujeeth Thalwar, offering perspectives of the terrain that are rarely seen in public conservation material.

The script has been developed by Pranay Juvvadi, Prashanth Gopi Veer and Sanjeev Siva, maintaining a natural-history narrative anchored to the behaviour of the fox family featured in the series.

Editing has been done by Pradeep Kumar and Rupak Ronaldson.

A multi-part series backed by conservation groups

‘Indian Fox – Fighting Habitat Loss’ is structured as a series and is backed by VWOLFS Foundation and Wild Telangana, two organisations working to document and advocate for the State’s natural habitats.

The team says the documentary is not just a visual project but part of a longer conservation effort. Their hope is that showcasing the grassland through a fox’s story will build public awareness and encourage policy protection for an ecosystem that often remains outside mainstream conservation discussions.