With the success of the movie “Zootopia” in China, two of the movie’s characters, Nick Wilde and Finnick, have gained great popularity among audiences. Moviegoers have taken it upon themselves to research the characters and discovered that Nick and Finnick are actually two different types of fox: red and fennec.

Recently, there was a news story of a father in Beijing who planned to buy his daughter a fennec fox as a pet. This begs the question: is it really okay for people to keep fennec foxes as pets or trade them online in China?

Absolutely not!

China is one of the 100 countries that have signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES classifies plants and animals according to three categories. Appendix I lists species that are in danger of extinction. It also prohibits outright the commercial trade of these plants and animals. Appendix II species are those that are not threatened by extinction but that might suffer a serious decline in number if trade is not restricted; their trade is regulated by permits. Appendix III species are protected in at least one CITES member country, and those member countries have petitioned other countries for help in controlling international trade of that species.

The fennec fox belongs to Appendix II, and the red fox to Appendix III. It is illegal to sell or purchase fennec foxes online under any circumstances in China. International trade requires a very complex procedure. While the red fox is a protected animal in China, it can be traded, but red fox owners are not permitted to allow the animals into the wild.