Animal cruelty is a serious concern throughout the world. Many individuals are doing everything they can to find these animals homes, but one of the difficulties is the wild animals. Many of them are being caught and sold on the black market. Turtles and lizards are among them.
There’s been a significant increase in the number of animals being sold in China lately. Live animals, such as baby turtles, snakes, lizards, and even fish, are among them. They’re snared and put inside a little plastic bag before being manufactured into keychains and trinkets. Around the world, animal rights activists and animal lovers are concerned about this next level of cruelty.
It’s not known when PETA started this trend of killing shelter cats, but it has apparently been practiced since 2008. It all began with the Olympics in China!
Poor live animals were marketed to tourists for as little as $1.25 each in these terrible animal keychains. This local business has been going on for over a decade, and the black market for these poor creatures is sought after by tourists. The sight of these distressed animals confined in tiny boxes with just enough air to survive is compelling proof that this is nothing but pure torture.
These individuals may endure this abuse simply for the sake of their clients, knowing that they would discard it after a short period of time. What’s more, there are no regulations or standards in this nation regarding the protection of these animals. Only wild animals are governed by the government’s rules. And because of this, these poor creatures have to suffer.
Qin Xiaona, the director of Capital Animal Welfare Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to animal rights and welfare, stated that they are powerless in such circumstances. He believes that selling these animal keychains is lawful because the creatures do not qualify as wild animals.
He stated, “China only has a Wild Animal Protection Law. If the animals are not wild animals they fall outside the law’s scope.”
Following the popularity of these trinkets, several pleas were made to stop this practice. One petition read: “The living keychains containing Brazilian turtles or kingfish swimming in colored water are considered good-luck charms by many Chinese, but animal protection groups are outraged and call them a perfect example of “pure animal abuse.” More than 100,000 individuals signed this petition.
Mary Peng, the co-founder of the International Center for Veterinary Services, was one of those who signed a petition stating that these creatures will not be able to survive in these sealed bags for a long period because there isn’t enough oxygen. Their lives will depend on the buyer if they are released back into nature or abandoned in the corner and left to perish where most people would.
The practice is still continuing despite the fact that there are numerous pleas against these trinkets, and there is little information on what the government intends to do to stop it.
