In a world that is trying to be more and more eco-friendly, many people are becoming vegan in the hopes of protecting nature to a degree. However, this one person may have taken it a bit too far.
A Youtuber, blogger, and an animal rights activist named Sonia Sae is keeping a Fennec fox named Jumanji as her pet. She claims to have rescued the fox from a breeder in 2014 and has been taking care of it since. Fennec foxes are known to eat insects, mealworms, birds, rabbits, rodents, and eggs. However, this particular fox has been eating nothing but vegan food. Since Jumanji started to have many health problems, people on the internet started to call this act of putting the animal on a vegan diet as abusive.
Experts say that 90% of a Fennec fox’s diet is based on other animals and insects which meets their high need of protein. Without eating meat, a Fennec fox would face problems related to heart and reproductivity. Therefore, it has raised concerns in the sense that the vegan diet might have put the animal’s balance completely off. It has been stated by Sae that Jumanji already suffers from hair and weight loss, sore skin as well as partial blindness. The animal appears to be extremely thin and lethargic on the photos shared by Sae. However, she insists that the hair loss is an allergic reaction and does not accept being called abusive: “They use the word ‘abuse’ to describe the act of feeding [it] food that no animal had to die for. Despite the obvious oxymoron, any other non-vegan alternative DOES involve abuse by default.”
Not only the diet but also the condition the fox is living in raises concerns. Dr. Heather Rally, a supervising veterinarian for PETA states “Fennec foxes are sensitive, vulnerable nocturnal animals who are naturally frightened of humans and should never be kept as companion animals. PETA is urging Ms. Sae to send this displaced fox to a sanctuary that can meet his complex needs and to visit her local animal shelter, where a lovable dog or cat has been waiting for her.” Many people have already reported Sae to authorities for abuse.
We genuinely hope that Sae realizes that she may be putting the fox’s life in danger and does what is ultimately best for Jumanji. More Info: foxesandfriends, ears.org
This was brought to the internet’s attention after one concerned woman posted a message on Facebook
This is how the fox looked like when Sonia Sae bought it:
Later, however, more and more people began thinking its appearance was deteriorating
Alice tried to explain why the owner shouldn’t feed him a vegan diet
While Sonia kept sharing her pet’s photos with very concerning descriptions
Alice also pointed out that Jumanji was experiencing some serious health issues
But Sonia refused to believe what ‘haters’ were saying
In the photos that she kept posting on Instagram, commenters pointed out that the fox appears to have gotten much thinner
Not only that, they thought the fur was thinning and severe skin conditions were developing
Damian Eadie, who runs a business selling vegan pet food, says it’s possible to raise a fox on such a diet
“A reasonable thing to say to Sonia would be – how are you sure this is safe for the fox? Does she know the nutritional requirements of the fox and can she formulate a suitable diet?”
This is what the owner had to say about the accusations people made online
Someone e-mailed animal rights authorities trying to consult what could be done with this and here’s what they had to say
