Scorpions and frogs posted alive to China to become pets

EXOTIC animals such as scorpions and poisonous frogs are being posted into China alive in parcels to feed a rise in demand for alternative pets.

The influx of banned insects and animals, which include snakes, spiders, beetles and tortoises, has prompted fears that the arrivals could harm China’s biodiversity and farming output, or be used by terrorists.

Illicit traffickers evade customs inspectors by only packing small amounts of live animals each time, but the overall trade has been described as “rampant” by Chinese media.

Authorities have issued warnings against importers and enforced tighter border controls in response to the trade, which has also caused alarm among animal rights groups.

More than 42,000 mail and parcel deliveries of banned animals and plants were seized at Chinese ports last year, and harmful species were identified in 5,147 of them, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said.

Customs officials also identified that some species, such as the Brazilian “killer scorpion”, poison dart frogs and poisonous snakes, could be dangerous to the public, or be “used by terrorists”, the China Daily said.

The ownership of pets was banned in China under Mao Tse-tung, the communist revolutionary leader, who believed it was a bourgeoisie hobby. But the rise in urbanisation and Western trends has led to dogs and cats being welcomed into many homes, as well as more exotic species.