Internet celebrity fox died in the snow? Stop feeding wild animals!

On December 26, the topic "Internet celebrity fox died in the snow" topped the hot search list.

According to Jiupai News, on December 25, a tourist posted a video at Kanas Scenic Area in Altay, Xinjiang, claiming that a popular wild fox in Kanas had died. The video showed the fox lying motionless in the snow, with many footprints around it.

Video screenshot: Wild foxes in the snow. Source: Jiupai News

The tourist who filmed the video said that the location was on the road from Hemu to Burqin, and the fox was lying halfway up the mountain. The snow was so deep that people could not get in. Tourists had fed the fox ham and other food before, but wild animals cannot eat salty food. When they went up the mountain and saw the fox dead, they called the police.

On the 26th, Jiupai News contacted Kanas Scenic Area, and a staff member said that they had not received any notification of the death of the Internet celebrity fox, and were not clear about the specific circumstances or whether the cause of death was related to feeding.

She said that the scenic spot has never encouraged tourists to feed food, and the official accounts on various platforms have issued proposals. "Some tourists called to inquire about whether there are foxes. We also told them that they can look but not feed them."

She said that in the summer, the scenic area has a large flow of people, and the scenic area management committee has sent special volunteers to various scenic spots to stop feeding. In the winter, the weather is cold, so it is not realistic to go to the lakeside to be a volunteer.

The above-mentioned staff member said that in recent years, there have been many tourists feeding wild animals in scenic spots . "Some tourists feel that they have paid to come here, and if we don't let them feed them, they will say that our attitude is bad. In theory, foxes should be afraid of people, but now foxes are not afraid of people. When they see tourists, they unconsciously come over to look for food."

She also called on everyone to be more responsible and protect wildlife.

Jiupai News noted that the scenic spot's social media account has repeatedly posted related initiatives, and also cooperated with video bloggers to shoot advocacy videos. In a video released in January 2022, it specifically talked about feeding the internet celebrity fox.

The video mentioned that wild foxes are national second-class protected animals . Previously, the scenic spot had rescued many foxes. Why did the foxes get sick? Because the main food sources of foxes in nature are mice, birds, rabbits, etc. These sick foxes were fed a lot of processed food by tourists.

Feeding wild animals will cause them to become sick and lose their fur, and in severe cases, may lead to death. Feeding large amounts of food will damage the ecological environment and change the living habits of wild animals. I hope everyone will stop feeding them.

China National Radio previously interviewed Dr. Sun Quanhui, a scientist from World Animal Protection, who said that animals living in the wild usually do not need to be fed by humans unless they encounter food shortages caused by disasters.

Feeding animals in the wild can have many impacts:

First, changing the behavior and habits of animals, making them dependent on humans, will weaken their ability to find food naturally in the long run;

Secondly, it increases the chances of contact between animals and humans, leading to accidents or increasing the risk of disease transmission;

Finally, it affects animal health. The ingredients of human food are quite different from those of animals in nature. The food fed by humans may cause animals to take in too much energy, leading to obesity and physical decline. In addition, additives, preservatives and other ingredients in human food may also pose a hidden danger to the health of animals.

"Not disturbing is a protection and respect for wild animals, and in fact, it is also a protection and guarantee for human beings themselves. Any practice that violates the laws of nature may cause harm to wild animals and humans. Only by keeping an appropriate distance from wild animals can humans live in harmony with them," said Sun Quanhui.

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Source: China News Service, Jiupai News, China National Radio

Editor: Wang Mengru