Global Times 6/12/12, By Matthew Jukes-While BMWs, Gucci handbags and
Bordeaux wines remain the foremost status symbols of China's nouveau riche,
conspicuous consumption doesn't end there for young people in the capital.
Exotic pets have become one of the latest fads to strike the nation, drawing
the ire of animal rights campaigners.
Last year, a coal baron bought a rare Tibetan Mastiff for around 10
million yuan ($1.5 million), and breeders revealed a boom in sales around the
country. But the trend for fauna as status symbols didn't just stop with
millionaires. Other exotic creatures, including spiders and reptiles, some
imported from abroad, have become fair game when decorating the decadent
apartments of Beijing. Among them the endangered Chinese box turtle, a former
restaurant delicacy which is now being kept as a pet.
"From both the perspective of animal rights and environmental
protection, I would say that it's absolutely wrong to keep an exotic animal as
a pet, let alone an endangered one," said Qin Xiaona, director of the
Capital Animal Welfare Association. "I understand that some people may buy
them in pursuit of some kind of rare excitement, or maybe they are just curious
about a new animal. But there are plenty of domesticated animals that are far
more suitable to keep as pets, such as dogs, cats and fish, why not stick with
those?"
The Chinese box turtle has always been in high demand in China. The
shells were prized for their use in fortune telling and traditional medicine,
while restaurants valued the flesh as a hotpot delicacy. The latest incarnation
for the creatures as pets has only served to increase demand and prices.
"The turtles are so expensive because of their rarity," said
Liu Xiaoxu, a licensed seller of the turtles online. "The female box
turtle only lays eggs twice a year and only about two eggs each time. Also,
unlike many other species, box turtles are amphibian, which makes them stand
out as pets."
Liu is selling the turtles for around 1,000 yuan each, and claims to
have sold four or five in just the last two weeks. He says that his breeds,
imported from the south of China, are actually cheaper. Other species, raised
in Anhui Province, can sell for double the amount.
"There's an old saying that Yellow-margined box turtles have the
ability to cure cancer. That's not to mention how widely used their rare,
compact, domed shells were in fortune telling. Even today they are seen as a
symbol of longevity that can ward off evil," added Liu. "But there
are people that just treat box turtles as pets. They are usually better-off
than most, as the prices are much higher than the red-eared sliders and other
species that you can find on the street."
Last week, the Beijing police announced they were going to crack down on
vendors selling exotic pets by post. Despite this, the former foodstuff remains
listed on online marketplaces, such as Taobao. Other sellers contacted by the
Global Times admitted that they could sell up to 1,000 Chinese box turtles each
year, mostly to businessmen, and insisted that customers were strictly
instructed in how to look after them beforehand.
A young office worker, who gave his name only as Huang, bought one
earlier in the year, and is now keeping it in a basin-like terrarium in the
middle of his apartment. While the purchase of a box turtle had seemed like a
good idea at the time, his pet care routine is proving to be more work than
anticipated.
"I got him from a tiny boutique. He's almost worth the same in
weight as gold," said Huang. "But you have to be careful and wash
your hands every time you go near them, as they can spread salmonella. Not to
mention the fact that you have to keep giving them fresh foods to keep their
health up, and provide them with a lot of space. It's really a lot to think
about."
Huang is not alone in his desire to look out for his shelled companion,
and a brief search on Chinese microblogging portal Sina Weibo, turns up
hundreds of results for turtle fan clubs, care groups and individual pet pages.
Behind the vacuous images, close ups and emoticons however, there is a more
pressing issue.
Endangered and 'at risk'
The rarity of the Chinese box turtle has not just been noticed by
sellers and pet lovers. It is thought that half of the some 328 species of
turtles and tortoises still extant in the world are now endangered or nearing
extinction. Most species of the Asian box turtle genus have been listed on the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list as
"at risk." In China, a license is required to sell them, to prove
that they have not been sourced from the wild.
Creatures taken out of their own natural habitats, or kept in unfamiliar
conditions can suffer, while owners who are unaware of the hidden risks can
receive injuries or illness, suggests Qin. She added that keeping exotic pets
can be dangerous both for the animals and their owners and high demand for such
pets can have knock-on effects on the market.
On 24 May this year, Taiwanese media reported that a shipment containing
811 endangered turtles, including box turtles, had been stopped from taking its
payload over to the Chinese mainland. The turtles were thought to be heading
for the pet markets of Guangdong Province, as well as local restaurants.
"China's market is so huge that any demand here can bring about the
killing and capture of animals in other parts of the world," added Qin. "The
number of creatures captured may increase out of a motivation for profit, just
as has happened over the last six years with rhino horns and ivory. All
animals have their position in nature, including turtles. So I am 100 percent
sure that keeping exotic turtles will break this delicate balance."
Qin wanted to remind our readers that it is illegal to keep wild animals
at home or at any organization that is not licensed by the Forestry Bureau, and
urged people not to buy endangered or exotic pets. If they have already done
so, they should keep them in the best possible fashion after seeking
professional advice.
Jiang Jie contributed to this story
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