Royev Ruchey responds to video of ailing fennec fox

A visitor to the Royev Ruchey flora and fauna park filmed a fennec fox that could barely get to its feet and published the clip on social media on 19 August. The video spread through Krasnoyarsk community pages, with commenters asking why a sick animal was being kept in an open enclosure. Royev Ruchey told NGS24.RU that it has long known about the animal«s condition and does not plan to remove it from the enclosure.

Related: “Old age is not shameful. It is honest.” The fennec fox whose condition alarmed a visitor has died at Royev Ruchey

The author of the post said she first took the animal for tired, but then realized something was seriously wrong.

“He could practically not get to his feet and looked very bad. The scariest part — dozens of people with children walked past this cage, but it seems no one paid attention,” the visitor wrote.

The fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is the world«s smallest fox. An adult weighs about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb) with a body length of up to 40 centimeters (16 in) and lives in the deserts of North Africa, primarily the Sahara. Ears up to 15 centimeters (6 in) long help it shed excess heat and hear prey beneath the sand.

According to her, she first found an employee on the grounds and then turned to the administrator. It turned out that she was the first to report the fennec«s condition, after which the administrator went to look for a veterinarian.

“If you see that an animal is behaving unusually, lying down, unable to get up or looking unwell, please do not walk past. Contact the staff,” she urged other visitors.

Royev Ruchey press secretary Oleg Chipura told NGS24.RU that the fennec«s name is Kuzya and the park has long known about his illness.

“The animal is very old. In the wild such animals live on average 8 years, in zoos — 10–12. Our fennec is already more than thirteen years old; we celebrated his birthday in winter. We know he is ill, veterinary doctors are monitoring him,” he said.

The park does not plan to remove Kuzya from the display.

“So what, should we kill him now or move him somewhere? Fresh air and sun are good for him. We explain to visitors that he is very old, and with age animals, like people, begin to get sick and grow old,” the press secretary noted.

An NGS24.RU correspondent asked whether Royev Ruchey has non-public enclosures for aging and sick animals.

“We will think about it, but so far there are no such enclosures. There is a quarantine department, there is a veterinary clinic and hospital, but we try to create all conditions for him for a dignified old age,” Chipura added.

He explained people«s reaction to the old fennec by saying that visitors come to the park for other impressions.

“People are infantile, this shocks them, they do not know that not only people but also animals can grow old and get sick. It is clear that they try to distance themselves from this, to shield themselves, and come to look at beautiful, powerful, healthy, strong animals. The park is already 26 years old, so we have many animals that greeted the first visitors,” Chipura said.

In autumn 2024, Royev Ruchey closed the enclosure of the giraffe Fekla to visitors: the 19-year-old animal was also unwell, and the park«s veterinarians consulted specialists from the Moscow Zoo and professors from an agricultural university.