Egyptian Mangoose, a Mysterious Visitor in Fayoum Turns Out to Be an Ancient Ally

Egyptian Mangoose, a Mysterious Visitor in Fayoum Turns Out to Be an Ancient Ally

When video of a sleek, quick-footed animal darting through the streets of Abshway, a town in Egypt’s Fayoum governorate, began circulating on social media on 18 July, panic followed close behind. Some residents assumed a dangerous predator was on the loose. Environmental and veterinary authorities in Fayoum soon identified the animal as Herpestes ichneumon, the Egyptian mongoose, and said it posed no threat to people, moving to end the online sp…