i think the awakened devil fruit users are animals who ate the same species of devil fruit.
for example:
Minotaurus is a cow who ate ushi ushi no mi/ushi ushi no mi model: cow
there was a hint when Oda was asked in SBS if a human ate the hito hito no mi what will happen to them he answers that the human will become enlighten.
enlighten = awakened
it is not impossible for an animal to ate a devil fruit right like Pierre and it is not impossible for an animal to ate a devil fruit of the same species?
so what do you think?