Dogpatch Press

Guest writer Kamen the Lycanroc has covered NYFurs events, and now looks at world news about Therians, the subset of Otherkin identity.

Screenshot of the Tiktok page Fox_cor, which has become a prominent video used in Latin American headlines.

Therians become a viral trend in Latin America, for better or worse.

“Are you a therian?” A boy from Spain came up and asked EberraWolf, a fellow furry news reporter, as NYCFurwalk hosted their 12th walk through the financial district of New York City. This question not only puzzled the tourists, it took Spanish-speaking countries by storm.

The first notice started with a news profile about a therian Tiktok user named Lexi from Argentina, and turned into a viral topic across Latin America. Therians went from appearing on gossip TV shows in Argentina for a laugh, to an amalgamation of AI-generated videos, false rumors, and memes all over Spanish-speaking social media, with furries getting in on it for better or worse.

Therians became a viral trend in Latin America around the middle of February 2026, with Google trends showing a major increase in searches for therians and other related topics in the region. Spanish articles, videos, and reports are what appeared first on Google searches even in North America. While English-speaking Youtube results of the search term “Therian” brings up Tiktok re-uploads, Spanish-speaking search results bring out news reports and videos in news sources from Mexico to Chile.

For example, El Heraldo De Mexico, a Mexican newspaper, published several videos and YouTube shorts about therians in the span of three weeks, with video titles claiming “They bite children, fight with dogs, and they go to the veterinarian! The very controversial case of Therians!”

While it has remained mostly a trend on social media, it did not take long to escalate. Spanish-speaking sites became filled with AI-generated posters promoting “Therian meetups” in prominent cities in Spain and Latin America. AI-generated videos and images also spread of “Therian Rights protests”, such as a video from a Dominican Republic news channel showcasing dogs attacking Therians at a protest. It only takes a short look to see inconsistencies such as the signs having different languages and the Washington Monument appearing in the background. Rumors have gotten so bad that there was a false news story about a Therian being set on fire in Guatemala.

A screenshot of a Dominican news site depicting a video of a dog attacking therians. Circled are the discrepancies that showcase it is AI-generated.

Negative reactions towards Therians, even within the Furry community, but why?

Aside from AI-generated content, Spanish Youtubers have also reacted to videos about Therians. One Colombian Youtuber, Kam Jurado, made a video discussing Therians and the “psychology” behind it, with a thumbnail saying “it’s ridiculous.”

Kam Jurado’s Youtube video thumbnail

This wave of virality and harassment has affected not only the Therian community, but the Furry community. Posts across social media in both English and Spanish warn Therians about the aforementioned “meets”, citing threats of violence and harassment. Furries have also been cautious, but some have been hostile.

While furries have been supporting Therians and helping them out, some have also jumped on the trend to mock and/or disrespect the subculture, despite sharing similar spaces and events together.

Odder, a Mexican furry, has noticed the trend firsthand interacting with the Mexican furry community. The Mexican furry has noticed comments similar to other anti-furry hate, such as wishing harm upon them like they were an animal.

“The furry fandom here has taken it with mixed reactions,” Odder claimed, “some do respect and understand it as it’s a very similar process when deciding to be a furry, but others went with the rage train and started treating therians just as furries were treated back in 2015, outright calling them zoophiles or mentally insane.”

This sudden burst of attention and craze for the community had Odder curious about why it gained traction.

It led some furries and outside observers to consider a theory involving a controversial reform passing in Argentina.

Political power consolidation at the top, with opposition by people beneath.

On February 27, 2026, the Argentine government passed a controversial labor reform, the biggest in half a century. The reform seeks to change several factors such as flexibility with hiring, severance, and collective bargaining. It has gained mass opposition from workers and left wing groups across the country, as they claim it weakens union rights, increases job instability, and leaves workers vulnerable to Argentina’s economic shocks.

This has led to widespread protests in Buenos Aires. Workers and union members protested against the labor reform outside of the nation’s Congress. Their general strike also included public transit workers, as buses and trains were backed up going to the city. Police clashed with protestors in the street, deploying tear gas and water cannons, while press were warned about covering events.

In theory, labor reform serves people in power, who can keep power by defeating popular opposition. A few elites at the top can win by provoking culture war division between many underneath. This theory also speculates from the position of Argentina’s current president Javier Milei, and his party La Libertad Avanza. Milei has closely allied himself with U.S. President Donald Trump, especially his conservative beliefs against ethnic minorities and LGBTQ identities. Milei does not shy away from showing his lack of support for not only LGBTQ folks, but his depreciation of social humanities. Suppressing opposition this way means targeting minorities that even other minorities can be convinced to hate.

Is Therian panic like the “litter box” hoax in right-wing American media?

To many North Americans, the Therian panic combined with the labor reform echoes the culture wars from North America. Notably the infamous “litter boxes in schools” hoax that was popular around 2022. Not one case was ever shown of a litter box in a school for students pretending to be animals. (NBC News found that the only similar occurrence was emergency buckets provided to a school in case of a shooter lockdown). This hoax conflated furries, trans people, and “wokeness” with behavior that never happened as a way to dehumanize targets.

Dordle, an Argentine furry, has stated that he feels like the government took advantage of such panic to pass their law. As a train driver, Dordle has noticed more coworkers asking him to talk about Therians as a furry, despite the fact that the labor reform will affect him and his workers directly.

Dordle shared how “when I was at work my coworkers just asking me about the Therians (because they know I’m a furry, I have pictures at work and they asked me for stickers about my fursona lmao)… they maybe should go more concerned about the law, but Therians haha”.

Dordle has stated he is neither for nor against Milei, but he believes the government took advantage of the Therian trend to rush the labor reform law. The Argentine even noted how Therians haven’t been seen on TV since the labor reform passed.

However, another Argentine furry, Policho, believes this may not have been the case. Policho is director for Argentina FurFiesta (ARFF). He states that no government official and/or political figure has commented on the community, and compares it to another culture war incident, Batman Anus, which was used to justify the defunding of research in humanities and social sciences under Milei’s presidency.

Regarding the political situation in Argentina, Policho comments how the labor reforms have been taking up the spot for prime time news spots, while Therians were simply on general TV news in the morning and evening. The topic being seen as a “Summer Topic” due to the lack of content to cover. (Argentina is in the southern hemisphere, so their summer is from December to March).

“People also have more free time in their hands to consume general media, specially those shows that go through gossip and less serious topics this is where the Therian fever found its home,” remarked Policho, “It’s easy to think that one thing is installed to hide the debate about something else, but it’s far from the truth as Main Media has been covering at length the Labor Law reform aside from Therians. While Labor Law took over prime time night news spots, Therians took over the gossip and more general TV news in the morning / early evening.”

When asked about how this will affect events, Policho also addressed safety for Therians who attend conventions in Latin America. As a director for Argentina FurFiesta (ARFF), Policho also keeps up with current events around the fandom in Latin America to not only ensure safety, but better understanding with the communities that attend the cons, Therians and Furries alike.

“If you ask me, there is always a “topic of the summer”, we always have seen this, a very toxic coverage, a few interviews here and there and people shown and made fun of,” remarked the director. “It’s sad but it’s not new, by the time Argentina FurFiesta happens in June, the topic will have be long left behind by media.”

As summer ends and politics continue in Argentina and parts of South America, the Therian discussion has died down. Nevertheless Furries and Therians remain vigilant for not only supporting their communities, but keeping them safe in an era of social media and viral trends that may be far from the truth.

– Kamen the Lycanroc

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