Source: CCTV news client
Nowadays, pets have become important "members" of many families, and the data of the 2019 Pet Consumption Ecology Big Data Report shows that the number of pet families in China in 2019 was 99.78 million, nearly 100 million families, which is really not small. However, in recent years, raising "alternative pets" has become a fashion chased by more and more young people, and the alternative pets mentioned here are different from traditional kittens and puppies and bird pets, but such as reptiles, birds of prey, wild beasts, etc.
The zoological name in the video is titan giant celestial bull, which lives mainly in the Amazon rainforest of South America, and is the largest celestial cow in the world and one of the largest insects in the world. It has a powerful jaw and can easily bite off a pencil or cut into the skin to cause harm to humans. So how did this beetle, which is far away on the other side of the world, become the pet of our young people?
Giant insect specimens are illegally entered by customs and seized according to law
Not long ago, when the customs officer of the Beijing Post Office conducted a manual review of the bill, he found that a ticket of inbound mail was declared as a "scaled-down (proportionally reduced) model and a similar entertainment model", which had a high risk of false declaration. After opening and dismantling inspection, it was found that the mail contained four beetle specimens, and the customs officers at the scene immediately made a temporary seizure in accordance with the law.
Wang Jiangang, deputy director of the Beijing Post Office under Beijing Customs: After laboratory identification, the four specimens are: Titan Giant Celestial Bull, Goliath BigHorn Flower Golden Turtle, Vietnamese subspecies of Pentagonal Giant Hooded Worm and Aktien Big Hooded Worm, the first three of which were intercepted for the first time at the Beijing port.
It is understood that the specimen of the Titan Tianniu intercepted by Beijing Customs this time is about 14 centimeters long, which is 3-5 times the size of the common Tianniu in China.
In Guiyang, when customs officials recently inspected a batch of incoming mail, they found that an X-ray image of an email declared as a grocery was abnormal, suspected of being a shadowed insect silhouette. After opening and inspection, a huge beetle with a length of 19.5 cm was seized in the parcel, and after identification, this beetle was called Euphorbia longifolia, which is one of the largest beetles in the world and has great strength.
140 honey bag shrews were seized for "smuggling" into the country
In addition to beetle-like creatures, there is another kind of alternative pet that is very popular, that is, the honey bag shrew, also known as the "honey kangaroo". Native to Places like New Guinea and Australia, they are dressed in furry coats, have thin, pointed ears, large and round eyes, light and petite, and have a flattering appearance, which makes honey bag squirrels frequently become "stowaways". As early as 2017, the border defense department in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, seized a large number of smuggled honey bag shrews on a bus, as many as 140.
Alternative pets are sought after live animals that have been smuggled into the country
Through illegal mailing and other acts, foreign creatures have become "alternative pets". According to customs officials, with the rise of "alternative pet fever" in recent years, it is not uncommon for live animals such as honey bag shrews to be smuggled into the country.
The bottles containing beetles in front of us were intercepted by Guangzhou Customs a few days ago, and the bottles contained soaked sponges and beetle food to ensure the survival of beetles.
In Shaanxi, xi'an post office customs also intercepted live ornamental fish in an inbound mail declared to be "aquarium products".
Customs staff of Xi'an Post Office: After opening the box and inspecting, the three plastic bags in the mail contained a total of 12 fish and a number of fish eggs, and the species were goldfish and medaka.
Customs officers have found that some fish have spawned and are at serious risk of invasive alien species.
Tsering Ouzhu, customs officer of Longdongbao Airport, which belongs to Guiyang Customs, will not only cause harm to the human body, but also cause great harm to China's agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry and ecological environment.
The girl bought a silver ring snake online when the "pet" was bitten and died
Behind the popularity of alternative pets, there are also many hidden risks. Customs officials said that unguarded organisms may carry unknown epidemic bacteria, which can spread to breeders and even cause death.
On July 9, 2018, a 21-year-old girl in Weinan, Shaanxi Province, purchased a silver ring snake from Qingyuan, Guangdong Province, through an online platform, and kept it at home, but unfortunately, after being bitten by this silver ring snake, the girl unfortunately died due to ineffective rescue. It is understood that the silver ring snake is extremely poisonous, can not be used as a pet at all, it is known as the fourth largest poisonous snake on land, once bitten, life is in danger.
Online shopping parrots are caught as pets in violation of the law
At the cost of life, the lesson is painful, but there are still some people who take risks and buy and keep alternative pets.
A few days ago, in Ningde City, Fujian Province, Wu Mou violated the law because he bought a national second-level protected animal as a pet. It is understood that Wu Mou, out of personal interests, purchased this parrot from Henan Province through the Internet in June 2020, and has since been raised at home. After investigation and identification by the police, this parrot is a wild green-cheeked cone-tailed parrot, which belongs to the national second-level protected animal and is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Throw away invasive pets at will or violate criminal law
If you throw away an alternative pet you purchased from abroad, it may also be suspected of breaking the law. This is clearly stipulated in the Criminal Law Amendment (XI).
Amendment (XI) to the Criminal Law adds the crime of illegally introducing, releasing and discarding invasive alien species.
Provisions: "Whoever, in violation of State regulations, illegally introduces, releases or discards invasive alien species, if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention, and shall also be fined or fined alone."
Ruan Qilin, professor of the Criminal Justice College of China University of Political Science and Law: When raising pets, especially imported pets from outside, we must pay attention to whether this species is biologically invasive, if there is biological aggression, you can not discard it at will if you keep it, if you discard it at will, it is suspected of a crime.