The Oakland Zoo is temporarily caring for a 6-year-old fennec fox, known for being the smallest in the fox family and for having huge ears.
The fox, named Summer by her former owners, appears to have been part of the multi-billion dollar, international exotic pet trade. Her owners voluntarily surrendered her to Oakland Zoo, which has had its share of exotic pets to care for.
Summer arrived at the zoo undernourished, underweight and highly picky about her food. Her treat of choice is baked chicken.
Zoo officials say Summer will stay with them until a suitable home is found. In the past, the zoo has taken in gibbons, lions, tigers and other animals that people purchased as pets, only to discover wild animals never become tame and are not suitable as family pets.
The fennec is native to the Sahara Desert, the Sinai Peninsula, South East Israel and the Arabian desert. Its unusually large ears serve to dissipate heat, and its coat and kidney functions are adapted to high-temperatures and scarcity of water. The ears also allow it to hear prey moving underground.
Many people see an exotic animal on social media, zoo officials say, and fall in love with their beauty. They pay large sums of money to possess the animal but are ignorant of the animal’s social, nutritional and specialty care needs. The impulsive decision to buy an exotic pet can lead to the owner being unable to care for it — and wild animals raised as pets face a difficult future.
“Very few facilities can care for a wild animal that has been raised by people,” says Colleen Kinzley, director of animal care at Oakland Zoo, “and they often don’t bond to people who didn’t raise them.”
California Fish and Wildlife Service have safeguards in place to protect wild mammals and enforce laws that make it illegal for most exotic animals to become pets. However, some other states’ laws on exotic pet ownership are more lax, allowing many animals to be taken from the wild and helping the exotic pet trade to thrive.
The zoo, which has no other fennec foxes, has no plans to keep Summer. Officials there are looking for an animal sanctuary where Summer can live. Fennec foxes mate for life, and have strong family bonds.
Summer is adjusting well to living at the Oakland Zoo Veterinary Hospital for now, officials say. The veterinary staff is following the Species Survival Plan standards for fennec fox diets to get Summer to a healthier weight.
In addition to improving her diet and weight, Dr. Alex Herman, the zoo’s director of veterinary services, said routine medical exams, including radiographs and blood work, also were performed on Summer.
