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They were found by animal rights activists at a logistics center.
At least 5,000 pets were found dead in mailboxes at a logistics center in Hunan province, China, local animal rights activists told local and international press. Founder of a local animal protection organization called Utopia, Sister Hua told CBS News:
It was like hell on earth. The whole place smelled of rotten animals.
The animals were found in plastic or metal cages placed in cardboard boxes with vented holes. The animals were without food or water for at least a week at a logistics center in Luohe, before they were found by animal rights activists.
It was clear that they had died of suffocation, dehydration and hunger, Hua said.
According to an article in the Chinese state newspaper Global Times, the animals came from a farm, from where they were transported in three trucks, first to Hunan’s capital, Zhengzhou, and then to the city of Luohe. In principle, the animals should have been delivered from there to customers who requested them via the Internet.
The courier that arranged the shipment did not comment on the case, but two company employees also confirmed to the Global Times that they used to ship live animals in boxes.
Animal defenders were able to rescue two hundred rabbits and fifty dogs and cats alive from the boxes. Healthy specimens were successfully adopted on site, while those in serious condition were taken to the vet. The dead pets were collected by local authorities and buried.
Chinese law prohibits sending animals by mail, but authorities cannot properly enforce the ban, a lawyer told the Global Times.
In the highlighted image are the boxes that contained the animals. Photo: Utopia
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