CNN has revealed a new horrific practice of animal cruelty in China. Animals have become victims of a shopping craze called “mystery boxes” highly spread in the Country.

What are these “mystery boxes”?

It works something like this… Consumers buy a small box with an unknown gift inside, normally a collectible figurine. After that, they start becoming addicted especially when prizes are part of a collectible series. This has turned “mystery boxes” into a big business. Content inside the box is pure pot luck, which is the essence of the ‘game’.

but there’s a darker side of the trend..

Inside these small harmeless looking boxes there could be a toy, a game but in some cases even a live animal.

Hoping to lure customers with the promise of a live animal or even a pedigree cat or dog, these boxes are sold in person or on online platforms and then shipped by couriers.   The sellers behind this growing craze are including live animals to heighten the expectation of winning a furry friend that can be a hamster, a cat or a dog.

What happens to the animals in the boxes?

Live animals are packed, trapped inside boxes and finally transported.

The animal rights group “Love Home” filmed a raid on May 3 in the central Chinese city of Chengdu – in Sichuan province –  during which 156 boxes with inside puppies and kittens , some of whom were already dead, were intercepted on a cargo truck owned by ZTO Express. However, on arrival almost all animals had died during the transit for malnutrition, dehydration, disease and suffocation.

The courier company ZTO Express was sanctioned yet on 11th May another shipment from that company was discovered in Suzhou in Jiangsue Province. Rescuers at the scene were able to save 10 dogs and cats which were sent to an animal rescue centre but even these creatures were carrying viruses.

While delivery of live animals by mail is illegal in China, it is poorly policed. Some mystery box operators are exploiting that blind spot to offer surprise pets delivered to consumers’ doors for as little as 32 yuan ($5).

ACTAsia founder Pei speaks out to CNN over Blind Box Animal Cruelty: “The e-commerce platforms need to be tightened , and government authorities – from the central government to the local government to the State Bureau – all need to work as a team to address these issues to tighten the regulations, and also punish the people who continue to push this business.” – “Education is the key to prevent the same tragedy happening again in future- Asia needs to focus on education and training. We want the children and the consumer to understand that animals are living beings not objects, that our consumer behaviour needs to be ethical and that we also have to address animals’ needs

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Source:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/19/business/china-pet-mystery-box-intl-hnk-dst/index.html