Animal rights in China: ‘pets by post’ scheme sparks outrage among advocacy groups
- Chinese consumers are being lured by online vendors offering animal ‘lucky bags’ at knockdown prices, but welfare groups say the practice should be outlawed
- ‘It’s not just the vendors who lack a conscience, but consumers too,’ says Isobel Zhang, co-founder of the Chinese branch of ACTAsia
The idea is that consumers chose the type of pet they want, but not the specific breed, colour or size, so they do not know quite what they have bought until it arrives. The marketing gimmick has its origins in the Japanese New Year custom known as fukubukuro in which merchants fill bags with random contents and sell them at a discount.
In China, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters and turtles are all up for sale, with prices ranging from 10 yuan (US$1.50) to 1,000 yuan, according to local news reports.
Isobel Zhang, co-founder of the Chinese branch of ACTAsia, a non-profit organisation that promotes animal welfare and sustainable social change throughout the Asia-Pacific region, said the concept of buying and selling pets online and shipping them in boxes was reprehensible.
“Would you put a three-year old child in a gift box?” she said. “It is not just the vendors who lack a conscience, but consumers too.”
According to a report by The Beijing News, one online store claims to sell Siberian Husky, German shepherd and Golden Retriever puppies for as little as 500 yuan apiece, while its American Shorthair, British Shorthair and Ragdoll cats go for between 200 and 400 yuan.
A Xinhua report quoted a vendor as saying he sold turtles from as little as 9.99 yuan, though he declined to say what species they were. He also said the animals were “hand-reared” and did not come with a health certificate.
A separate report by online news outlet Jiemian quoted vendors as saying their animals had been properly vaccinated, though they declined to provide any documentary evidence. They also said they did not accept refunds, even if a buyer was sold an unhealthy animal.
The Szcat Animal Protection Volunteer Association, based in the south China city of Shenzhen, said the low cost of the animals was a major cause for concern as it suggested people did not properly value them.
“If people casually buy pets online simply because they are cheaper, how can you expect them to take due care of them?” said a member of the group, who asked not to be named.
The way in which the animals were transported was also worrying, the person said.
“The often rough processing and handling of courier packages is not at all suitable for moving animals,” he said. “It would be very frightening for them.”
While it is illegal to send animals through the post in China, and most large courier firms refuse to carry them, some smaller operators are less concerned about the regulations, The Beijing News quoted an industry insider as saying.
