Beijing, May 7 2021: After mystery-toy “blind-boxes”, China’s consumers were offered the choice to order live pet “blind-boxes” online, the latest craze for the live mystery creatures in a box has gained traction in China with listings such as “very cute purebred cats and dogs” going for as low as $1.5 and searches for “pet blind boxes” on Alibaba-owned e-commerce site Taobao with listings of live pure-bred pets for sale.
The craze has led to some dangerous consequences for the creatures however and an incident earlier this week sparked online outrage when according to Chengdu Aizahijia Animal Rescue Centre, volunteers in the city of Chengdu found a truck full of dying kittens and puppies in crates, some dying some already dead. The animal rescue body said that some of the kittens were under treatment and that there is no ventilation in the doors for the animals to breathe so they are likely to suffocate.
By law, it is illegal to transport live pets in China via courier services. In response to the public outrage after the incident, the courier company apologized publicly and stated that the Chengdu branch would conduct a postal safety evaluation and self inspection to eliminate dangerous practices.
According to Qianzhan market intelligence firm, the market for mystery toy blind boxes in China has already made a fortune for toy-makers with an estimated $1.14 billion in earnings. But what happened with the live animals this week proved too much for some social media users as one post which criticized the practice saying, “The moment many buyers open the box hoping for a live creature, they actually find an animal that’s died of suffocation, starvation, cold or heat,” gained over 41,000 likes. Most users agree the practice is taking a step too far in to the mystery realm of online shopping.
The hashtag “pet blind boxes” had 420 million views on Friday and many users have agreed to boycott the practice of shopping for mystery animals online saying its it not a cute novelty nor is it an inanimate toy that can be thrown away at will if found damaged. Some users expressed concerned at the level of apathy their fellow human beings were capable of displaying for something with a life of its own.
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