Disney is such an expert in giving a human character to its cartoon characters that moviegoers tend to believe that what they see onscreen, especially animals, is as cute as a real version of the perky chipmunk, wise duck or mischievous mouse they saw on cinema.
Such is again the case for “Zootopia,” the latest blockbuster of Disney Films which features a fennec fox that plays a con artist role. Despite being a badass, the fox is seen by moviegoers as a loveable character that a growing number of Chinese are buying the animal even if it is a protected species.
The animal is classified a protected species both by international and Chinese law, noted Global Times.
Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) includes the fennec fox on its list as facing the threat of extinction if there are no strict rules to curb its trade. In April 1993, China’s Ministry of Forest announced that species in Appendix I and Appendix II of CITES are given first- and second-class protection in the country, respectively.
Despite these foreign and local laws, the fennec fox is being sold in Baidu at 25,000 yuan ($3,855) each. The animal, imported from Africa, has been selling briskly since "Zootopia" opened in early March in China. Besides the popularity that the Disney film gave to the fennec fox, an anonymous seller in Baidu Tieba, an online forum, explained that the animal is low maintenance.
The owner could feed the fox insects, dog or cat food. But the seller reminds buyer that as an Appendix II animal, the buyer should apply for a certificate from a local forestry bureau to keep the species.
As of last week, “Zootopia” earned 578 million yuan in China since it opened on March 4. It had also smashed the single-day record box office in China of 127 million yuan ($19.5 million) for animated feature films, set in February by Dreamwork Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 3,” reported Fortune.