The latest craze for exotic animals in China has posed a threat to the local ecosystem.

Illegal importation of animals including frogs and deadly scorpions has been thriving, reported Beijing News. The report said the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau in Beijing has listed a 697.3% increase in parcels containing illegal objects from January to July this year. The bureau also recorded 31 packages containing live exotic animals out of the 622 batches.

Like Us on Facebook

China has already banned acquiring live animals from other countries. A bureau official said most of imported animals are used for scientific research. However, this would first need approval from the government, the official added.

The bureau also warned the public about purchasing smuggled species. The report said human health is put at risk as well as local ecosystems as smuggled animals do not undergo quarantine. The bureau also added import rule violators who are found guilty will be placed on a watch list. It said packages bearing their names would be examined thoroughly.

The number of imported packages sent to China through Beijing has been reported to be more than last year’s data recorded at 4 million. The bureau said it has been facing great challenges to prevent banned packages from entering China.

An insider said many exotic pet owners abandon their pets into the wild. This could result to threatening the local ecosystem balance as there may be no natural competition to foreign species.

Beijing News also said no reports of illegal animal trading were listed in August. The newspaper also said no exotic pets were found in two major pet markets in Beijing.

The report went on citing some vendors saying they are now breeding exotic animals instead of illegally purchasing them from abroad.

One of the operators of the pet markets said vendors will be punished if they were found guilty of selling animals without quarantine certification. However, the newspaper said online exotic animal sale is still thriving with more than 1,700 online vendors found in an e-commerce portal.

Tagsexotic animals, exotic pets, Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Beijing News