Manama: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Waters and Agriculture has reacted to national outrage from shocked social media users after a picture of a driver dragging a fox was posted.
The driver was ordered to pay a fine of 30,000 Saudi Riyals and to pay for articles to be published in two local newspapers, Okaz daily reported on Thursday.
The fox was tied to a rope that the driver was holding with his left hand as he drove his car in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The report did not mention whether the fox was dead or alive.
Outraged animal lovers reacted quickly and called on the authorities to take stringent action against the driver for his abuse of animals.
Abdullah Aba Al Khail, the spokesman for the ministry, said that the action taken against the driver was in line with the rules regarding proper care about animals in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and ratified by Saudi Arabia.
It was the second punitive action taken by the ministry in February, he added.
The first was taken against a man who had abused a dog by dragging it on the road, as well.
The ministry is grateful to the people who have reported both incidents so that action could be taken against abusers, he said.
