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About 4,000 dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals believed to have been bought online as pets were found dead in boxes at a logistics center in central China after being stranded there for nearly a week, according to a welfare group. animal.
Rescuers managed to save just over 1,000 rabbits, hamsters, dogs and cats, but the rest had already died when they arrived at the Dongxing facility in Luohe, Henan province, on September 22.
“We have done rescues before, but this was the first time I experienced something so tragic,” said a volunteer from the NGO Utopia Animal Rescue, named Dan.
“When we got there, there were several small mountains of boxes containing animals. Many of them were dead and had started to rot and give off terrible smells, “he said, describing the gruesome scene at the warehouse.
Authorities are investigating the incident, which has again raised concerns about the lack of regulation of the sale of pets online in China. A burgeoning e-commerce industry means that almost anything, including live animals, can be purchased online, but pets are often transported illegally under unsafe conditions by courier companies.
The shipment of animals is said to have been shipped on Sept. 16, and when they were discovered in the depot they had been without food or water for at least five days, according to Utopia Animal Rescue.
Yang Aihua, an official from the Luohe trade bureau, said The Beijing News on Tuesday the animals had been shipped from neighboring Jiangsu province and another city in Henan.
When the courier truck arrived in Dongxing and staff discovered that the cargo contained live animals, they refused to accept them. But the driver had just dropped off the animals at the facility, Yang said.
It is illegal to transport live animals through the courier system under China’s postal law. They can be transported on airplanes if the shipper can provide the required documents such as vaccination records and health certificates and an approved pet carrier box for the trip, in accordance with civil aviation regulations.
Dan from Utopia Animal Rescue said the logistics company involved was Yunda Express, as the delivery notes for the boxes came from Yunda and the animals were discovered in the company’s warehouse at the logistics center.
However, a representative for Yunda Express told online news outlet Jiemian News on Wednesday that the delivery notes found in the boxes were pre-printed for previous customers and had been taken and used without permission.
Two phone calls and a request for comment emailed to Yunda Express were not returned.
Dan said the logistics company that transported the animals was responsible for the deaths, saying it failed to ensure correct documentation was attached to the live cargo and that it had failed to provide safe and comfortable conditions for the animals.
“Many small courier companies do not have the proper health certificates and enough space for animals … we continue to call for a ban on the transport of live animals and the sale of animals online,” he said.
More than 870 rabbits, 99 hamsters, 70 dogs and 28 cats were found alive in the warehouse. Homes have been found for the healthy animals, while pet stores and volunteers care for the sick.
Dan said most of the rabbits were in poor condition because they were less than a month old.
“We have been giving them vitamins and glucose, in the hope that they can survive,” he said. “We are waiting to see if they can do it. If not, that’s out of our hands. “- South China Morning Mail
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