And shouldn’t be pets https://twitter.com/summerstoli/status/1307506941162328064

Just a reminder that if this fox were to ever bite someone, it would most likely need to be euthanized to test for rabies, because the incubation period for rabies in wild animals can be YEARS, so there is no quarantine period or non-lethal testing method

Cute videos can be cute AND responsible - this video may have been scalped from a person who educates on why foxes do NOT make great pets, but that education is lost when just the video is shared.

We can acknowledge the cuteness while also acknowledging the harm this video can do - ppl see cute fox, want cute fox, get foxes from breeders, fur farms, exotic pet trade (furthering the demand) & then must surrender or destroy them when they become “too much” or bite someone

For example, my place of work has an Ambassador Arctic Fox. We’re in Virginia - these aren’t native animals - so why do we have her?
Because someone had her as a pet, illegally, & then had to surrender her.

Sure, she’s cute, but you know what else she is? Inbred. Not cuddly. Smart. Loves to dig & mark her territory by defecating & peeing on everything. She lives in a large outdoor enclosure & goes on long walks on a harness & leash she’s been trained on. But that took years of work

The people who had her bought her at a flea market. Let her run loose in the house until she ate their pet rabbit and ferret, & pooped & peed everywhere. After that, they kept her crated most hours of the day with a diaper.

Animal control called us because we rehabilitate foxes. We obviously couldn’t release her, so this was out of our wheelhouse - but we do do education programs. So we kept her, to tell her story of /why/ foxes (& other wildlife) DONT make good pets, & how the pet trade harms them

She came to us pigeon-toed, with multiple illnesses, she doesn’t shed her coat on her own & develops skin infections easily bc of her weakened immune system (from being from a backyard breeder!). We have on-site vet care, but MOST vets will NOT treat wildlife/exotics

Also, the only people allowed to work with her are our top-trained rabies vaccinated volunteers & staff. But even being vaccinated doesn’t protect her from the Heath Department should she bite or scratch someone - which is why her interaction is limited to a small pool of ppl

“But Jessssss I want da fox bby ”
Ok, so volunteer with your local rehabilitators, wildlife centers, zoos, shelters, sanctuaries. These are ways to get your cute animal fill without contributing to the problem (and you’re doing good, too!)