Animals are being sent to buyers via mystery parcels (referred to as blind boxes) through courier service in China. The new phenomenon has sparked off a global debate over the abuse and the ill-treatment of animals in the Communist-run country.
On Monday, around 160 cats and dogs were found in a distressed condition inside the truck of a courier company named ZTO in Chengdu in Sichuan in Western China. The vehicle was intercepted by an animal rescue group named Chengdu Aizhijia Animal Rescue Centre. All animals were less than 3 months old and 4 of them were dead. In addition, many animals were infected with the virus. In a video posted by Reuters, puppies and kittens were seen caged in parcels in a warehouse, disguised as regular packages. On Thursday, the group informed that all animals except 38 were brought back to the Centre for resettlement. The remaining 38 animals had been receiving medical attention. The resuce group added that they had seen online listings for “very cute pure breed cats and dogs” being sold for as cheap as 9.9 RMB ($1.50). The animal rescue centre said the animals were receiving medical treatment. It wrote in a social media post that the cargo was “full of the screams of puppies and kittens. If the door is closed then there is no air circulation at all, so they can only be suffocated!” the centre wrote. Delivering live animals by postal courier is illegal in China.
