On the evening of September 21st, Ms. Yang, a citizen of Changchun, received a phone call from her son Xiaozhi (a pseudonym), claiming that she was bitten by a pet "Zhuyeqing" snake bought online. Previously, consumers suffered frequent injuries due to online shopping for live animals.
On September 29, Beijing Youth Daily reporter searched and saw that there are still live scorpions and spiders for sale on the e-commerce platform. In some chat groups, some people claim that they can sell animals such as snakes. Relevant laws and regulations explicitly prohibit the mailing and transportation of live animals. On the same day, the reporter consulted an e-commerce platform, and the customer service staff said that the platform prohibited the sale of state-protected animals, and if it was found, it would be strictly investigated, while other non-protected live animals were not clearly stipulated for the time being.
event
Online shopping for live dangerous animals
Causing frequent injury accidents
According to a recent report by Changchun City Evening News, after receiving a phone call that a child was bitten by a snake, Ms. Yang told Xiaozhi to go to the hospital at once. From September 21st, Xiaozhi was admitted to the ICU of Changchun Children’s Hospital until the morning of September 27th. Ms. Yang said that since the incident, more than 100,000 treatment fees have been spent, and the follow-up conservative treatment is estimated to be 150,000 yuan.
According to Ms. Yang, Xiaozhi likes raising small animals very much on weekdays. This time, she bought snakes from her daily pocket money and lucky money given by her relatives, and learned that the child contacted a seller on the post bar and spent 300 yuan to buy them online. Ms. Yang said that they have called the police to wait for the investigation results of the public security organs. If the seller is found, they will sue the seller through legal means.
On September 29, the reporter of Beiqing Daily searched and saw that there had been many cases of accidents in online shopping of live animals. According to the previous report of Huashang Daily, on July 9, 2018, a 21-year-old woman in Weinan City, Shaanxi Province was bitten by a silver ring snake that she bought online, and then she was sent to hospital for medical treatment. Despite the full treatment, the woman still can’t breathe spontaneously, and relevant experts have declared the woman brain dead after many evaluations.
According to the previous news of People’s Daily Online, in January 2016, Xiao Zhang, a college student in Wuhan, bought a small scorpion online and raised it in the dormitory. However, he was accidentally bitten while cleaning up the cage, and his hand was swollen badly. He was sent to the hospital for treatment.
In April 2019, a 13-year-old boy bought a silver ring snake online and was bitten by a snake. He was taken to hospital for treatment.
survey
There are still similar transactions online.
Courier companies can "steal"
On September 29, the reporter of Beiqing Daily searched and saw that there are still live animals including snakes, scorpions and spiders on the Internet. In a chat group, many people were exchanging experiences in raising snakes. Some people said they wanted to buy some kinds of snakes, such as Wang Jin snake. The group owner sent out a number of photos in the group indicating that there were new snakes to sell.
On the e-commerce platform, although it is impossible to directly search for live snakes at present, there are still live spiders, live scorpions and other animals for sale. A store selling a variety of live pet spiders said that spiders generally don’t come out to bite in boxes. Feeding with tweezers can avoid being bitten. If you are accidentally bitten, you should wash the wound with a faucet and squeeze blood repeatedly for about 15 minutes. Regarding whether spiders are toxic, the store said that it is basically not too harmful to the human body. "It will hurt for a while. If it is not handled properly or not, it may hurt for a few days."
Another store selling live scorpions said that scorpions sold online are toxic. "It is because of toxicity that they have better medicinal and edible value. Scorpion venom is neurotoxin, and it will feel pain when entering the blood. If it hurts to be stung by a scorpion, wash the wound with soap, and it will be fine in about 3 hours. "
According to the detailed rules for the implementation of the Postal Law, articles prohibited from being delivered or carried in the mail include "all kinds of living animals". In this regard, stores selling live animals said that they can mail through cooperative courier companies, and some areas can only mail through designated courier companies.
The reporter of Beiqing Daily consulted a courier company. The customer service staff said that the company’s regulations do not allow delivery of live animals, but it also depends on the outlets’ own arrangements. Some outlets can "secretly send".
suggestion
Consumers try not to buy.
Express companies should strengthen supervision
On September 29th, Zhao Xiaomin, an expert in the express delivery industry, told the reporter of Beiqing Daily that according to the relevant regulations, live animals cannot be delivered by express delivery, and the transportation of live animals should go through specific professional channels. However, this way is often expensive, so some sellers still choose to send ordinary express delivery. "Sending live animals by express delivery is not only illegal, but also suspected of breaking the law."
Consumers who buy live animals online are not only likely to be bitten or stung by animals themselves, but also have certain risks in the process of express delivery. Zhao Xiaomin said that online shopping for live animals may also cause the spread of some infectious diseases and bring some harm.
Zhao Xiaomin also advised consumers not to buy live animals online as much as possible, especially snakes, scorpions and other dangerous animals. At the same time, express delivery companies should strengthen supervision and standardize their operations.
In addition, doctors in a hospital in Beijing reminded the public that if they are bitten by snakes and other animals, they should call the emergency number and go to a nearby hospital capable of treating snake injuries as soon as possible for treatment. When calling for help, they should keep calm, don’t run around, remove watches, bracelets and other items worn in the injured part, wash the wound quickly, bandage the wound and put the injured limb as low as possible.
Text/reporter Guo Linlin Coordinator/Jiang Wei