The photos of the Arctic fox went viral on Chinese social media platforms.
A zoo in China is being criticised on social media after photos online showed a group of Arctic foxes in the zoo unable to walk due to overgrown claws. The photos of the animals were first posted by Weibo user Xiumu Ayi after her visit to the Changsha Ecological Zoo in Hunan province on January 12, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP). The user said the foxes' claws were "absurdly long". The outlet further said that the user reported her concern to the municipality administering that region.
"The foxes could not walk normally. I can tell it really is painful for them," she wrote on Weibo, as per the SCMP report. Her post has been shared online more than 15,000 times.
The zoo, meanwhile, said that after receiving the complaint, it sent a veterinary team to trim the claws of the foxes and conduct health checks.
It further said that the animals were found to be in good health.
"We protect and take good care of our animals. But maybe there are still some aspects in which we do not do well. Thank you for your reminder," a zoo employee was quoted saying by SCMP.
The outlet also spoke to veterinarian Chen Dajun, who said that keeping the claws of Arctic foxes in captivity trimmed is important for their health.
"When Arctic foxes live in the wild, their claws get worn down naturally, but in a zoo, they do little running, so only a bit of the claws get worn off. If the claws are not cut in time, the foxes' health can be damaged," he said.
The incident has angered many internet users in China, who accused the zoo of neglecting the animals.
But this is not the first time that such incident has been reported from a zoo in China. Last year, a worker in Changsha zoo in Liaoning province in northeast China was filmed kicking a goat in the stomach.