At present, raising exotic pets has become a fashion in many countries and regions. African grey parrot, raccoons in North America, siamese crocodiles, Asian otters, even tigers and lions are all regarded as personal pets, which has caused a series of species protection, animal welfare, ecological security and health and public health problems.
【 View of Law Eyes 】
In another half month, the white fox in front of Liu Yintong will be sent to Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center.
"I’m still very happy. After all, the white fox can return to a place suitable for its growth." Liu Yitong told reporters. As one of the leaders of Beijing Let’s love Animal Placement and Foster Care Center, Liu Yintong usually rescues cats, dogs and other pets. However, in recent years, more and more exotic pets have been rescued in their center, including foxes, crocodiles, snakes, peacocks and so on.
This white fox was discovered by an enthusiastic citizen near a large community in Changping District, Beijing in October 2019. "At that time, it was curled up under the car, about 3 months old. When it was first sent to the foster care center, it was malnourished and dying." Liu Yintong speculated that "this white fox was probably bought as a pet and was abandoned when it was found that it could not be raised".
Exotic pets, namely exotic pets, are also called exotic pets. In recent years, while "sucking cats" and "slapping dogs" are all the rage, raising exotic pets has also become a fashion in many countries and regions. African grey parrot, raccoons in North America, siamese crocodiles, Asian otters, even tigers and lions are all regarded as personal pets, and related videos are also popular on social networks, which are popular among some people.
At present, the epidemic situation in COVID-19 is raging all over the world, and people pay close attention to the protection of wild animals. In the interview, the reporter found that the epidemic of exotic pets can easily lead to a series of species protection, animal welfare, ecological security, health and public health problems, which need to be paid attention to.
Raising exotic pets is becoming fashionable.
According to Sun Quanhui, a scientist of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, a comprehensive consultation organization of the United Nations, exotic pets refer to wild animals that people keep and watch as pets, including vertebrates such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, and some invertebrates. They may come from wild or artificially bred offspring of wild provenances, and often come from other countries and regions.
"The biggest difference between exotic pets and companion animals such as cats and dogs in general is that they have not been domesticated by humans for thousands of years and still belong to wild animals in terms of attributes." Yu Wenxuan, director of the Institute of Environmental Resources Law of China University of Political Science and Law, pointed out.
In the past, lions, leopards, tigers and elephants were also used as pets. However, this practice is only a small-scale event. Since the 20th century, exotic pet trade has become increasingly prosperous. At present, more than 500 species of birds and 500 species of reptiles have been traded in the world, and exotic pet trade has become a global industry worth tens of billions of dollars. In February, 2019, the World Society for the Protection of Animals released the Chinese version of the global trade report on exotic animals, Wild Heart: The Cruel Status of Foreign Pet Trade (hereinafter referred to as the Report), which exposed the great harm caused by poaching, smuggling and trading (legal and illegal) of wild animals behind this global industry.
In China, according to the industry report of Forward-looking Industry Research Institute, by 2016, China has become the third largest pet consumption market in the world after the United States and Japan, in which exotic breeding, mainly birds, amphibians and small mammals, accounts for 2.2% of the market size, with a low proportion but a growing momentum.
Last year, Liu Yintong and his friends received no less than 10 distress messages about rescuing exotic pets.
"Many people raise different pets, which is just a few days’ freshness. The raising conditions can’t meet the needs of pets. At the same time, these pets will also have a great impact on people’s daily lives, and eventually they will be abandoned." Liu Yintong said that taking foxes as an example, it not only smells great, but also flies around when it is depilated. In addition, foxes like to dig holes and will find opportunities to scratch and chew furniture.
According to an online survey, only 52% of breeders in China realize that they are raising exotic pets, and 47% of first-time buyers of exotic pets hardly spend time researching and buying pets. The breeders bought pets on impulse or on the spur of the moment, but they didn’t know enough about them.
The cruel reality behind the trade of different pets
Recently, Bazhou Public Security Bureau in Langfang City, Hebei Province cracked down on illegal wildlife trade and arrested an online fugitive suspected of selling endangered wild animal grey parrot. Upon inquiry, the suspect Fan confessed to the crime of buying gray parrots online from 2016 to now and then selling them on social platforms. At present, Fan has been under criminal detention.
Grey parrot (african grey parrot) lives in the vast land from lowland forest in West Africa to Congo Basin. In the wild environment, this kind of bird has high sociality, likes to live in groups and practices "monogamy". Because of its long life, ability to imitate human speech and high IQ, grey parrot has become one of the most popular pet birds, and therefore, grey parrot almost suffered "extinction".
According to the Report of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, in the past 47 years, legal and illegal trade has led to a catastrophic decline in the population of african grey parrot: the population of african grey parrot in Ghana has lost 99%; This species is considered to have been regionally extinct in Togo. In addition, as many as two-thirds of the captured gray parrots will die before entering the trading channel. It is estimated that the wild population in african grey parrot has declined by 79% in the past 50 years.
The experience of the grey parrot is a microcosm of the unfortunate fate of many rare and endangered wild animals after being treated as pets. The report pointed out that even if they survived the global trade and were kept as pets for life, it would bring further harm to these animals. Studies have found that some behaviors of such animals are similar to human emotional trauma. Because of loneliness and chronic diseases, parrots may peck off their feathers, which is quite similar to human self-harm behavior in the same situation. Captured Asian otters show repetitive destructive behavior, similar to human obsessive-compulsive behavior. Artificial breeding will strengthen some characteristics of animals, such as breeding animals with specific colors or patterns, which may lead to some nervous system diseases or other genetic defects.
"Every link of the exotic pet trade can’t avoid making animals suffer. In the final analysis, these wild animals are not suitable to be pets. Therefore, no care and love can make up for the inevitable harm caused by the exotic trade to animals. " Sun Quanhui pointed out.
Threaten human health and ecological security.
On July 9, 2018, Xiao Fang (a pseudonym), a 21-year-old girl from Huazhou District, Weinan, Shaanxi Province, was bitten by a bungee snake, but she was still unable to breathe spontaneously after all efforts, and was declared brain dead by the hospital. In the early morning of July 17th, Xiao Fang developed high fever, rapid and slow heart rhythm and other symptoms, and then died unfortunately.
According to the inquiry of the express number provided by Xiao Fang’s mother, the poisonous bungee snake that killed Xiao Fang was purchased by Xiao Fang himself from a seller in Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province through the online platform, and finally arrived in Xiao Fang’s hand through express delivery. While in the mood for love, he died because of online shopping for poisonous snakes. Xiao Fang’s experience is undoubtedly heartbreaking.
In recent years, incidents involving poisonous spiders, poisonous snakes, crocodiles and other exotic pets have occurred from time to time, causing public concern.
"The biological characteristics of wild animals determine that they are not suitable for keeping as pets." Sun Quanhui said, "Their aggressiveness, toxicity and various pathogenic microorganisms may also have a serious or even fatal impact on human health." According to reports, a study conducted in the southwest of England found that 27% of the hospitalized cases of children under 5 years old were caused by salmonella infection carried by reptiles. Another study shows that about 61% of the 1410 human diseases investigated are caused by animal pathogenic sources. At present, about 200 zoonotic diseases are known, at least 70 of which are related to exotic pets.
The most harmful zoonosis is not only highly contagious, but also has a high mortality rate. Ebola virus, SARS and avian influenza have all posed serious threats to human health. As early as 2012, the former Director-General of the World Health Organization, Chen Fengfuzhen, said that over the past 30 years, more than 30 new human diseases have been discovered around the world, of which more than 70% originated from animals.
In addition to endangering human health, exotic pets are also likely to be released or abandoned, resulting in the invasion of alien species, thus destroying the local ecological environment. Green iguana and Brazilian tortoise are both typical cases of species invasion. It is understood that Taiwan Province, China is one of the earliest places in Asia to raise and crawl pets. Green iguanas entered the Taiwan Province market more than ten years ago. Due to artificial release and abandonment, green iguanas have now formed a wild population in Taiwan Province. Due to the lack of natural enemies, green iguanas multiply wildly, which not only destroys local vegetation, but also decays holes in river banks, threatening the lives and property of local residents.
Is it legal to raise exotic pets?
At the end of last year, two extra-large illegal pet trafficking chains were detected by our police. Under the unified command of Sichuan Provincial Public Security Department, Sichuan Forest Public Security Department, Chengdu Forest Public Security Department, Network Security Department and other departments jointly fought to solve the "4.21" mega-cross-border illegal acquisition, transportation and sale of rare and endangered wild animals, broke two major domestic criminal chains of smuggling and illegally selling rare and endangered wild animals from overseas to China, and seized more than 1,000 national first-and second-class protected wild animals such as pythons, lizards, parrots and tortoises. After this battle, the illegal foreign pet trading in China was "basically paralyzed".
In addition to illegally buying, transporting and selling exotic pets, ordinary people may also face legal sanctions for buying and raising exotic pets at will. According to the Law of People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the Protection of Wild Animals and the regulations on the protection of wild animals issued by various places, if you illegally trade and raise national and provincial key protected wild animals, you should also bear legal responsibilities. Being included in the national "three-owned" animal list, that is, species with important ecological, scientific and social values, is a supplement to the national key protection list, and it is also not allowed to be traded and raised casually. In addition, China joined the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1980s, and the species listed in its protection appendices I and II are equivalent to the national first-class and second-class protected animals in China.
"The above-mentioned laws and regulations cover most wild animals, such as frogs and sparrows. These wild animals cannot be traded online and offline. Capturing, raising and trading all require administrative permission from the wildlife authorities and corresponding qualifications." Sun Quanhui said. According to the Law on the Protection of Wild Animals, for the sale and utilization of wild animals that are not under special state protection, the legal source certificates such as hunting, import and export shall be provided, and the quarantine certificate shall be attached.
"Keeping pets should abide by laws and regulations, and don’t break the law just because it’s fun or like it." A forest police officer said, "When buying pets, everyone should seriously ask about the source and species of pets, and don’t blindly pursue novelty. Don’t simply think that foreign countries can raise them, but China can raise them, and don’t think that wild ones can’t raise them, but artificially propagated ones can raise them. "
There is controversy about whether to completely ban exotic pets.
"Big game province" bid farewell to game! On March 31, the Standing Committee of Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress passed the revised Regulations on the Protection and Management of Wild Animals in Guangdong Province, which also included other terrestrial wild animals except those under national and provincial protection and those with important ecological, scientific and social values. Among them, it became a highlight of this law to explicitly fast all artificially bred terrestrial wild animals.
At the same time, the regulations also regulate the issue of keeping exotic pets. Article 18 of the regulations stipulates that terrestrial vertebrate wild animals that naturally grow and breed in the wild environment, or other wild animals that endanger public health safety, ecological safety and public order, shall not be kept as pets.
In this way, does it mean that a legal hole has been left for raising exotic pets?
"This article is stipulated in the chapter on artificial breeding, while emphasizing ‘ Natural growth and reproduction in the wild environment ’ It makes it possible to raise legal artificial breeding species as pets. " Yu Wenxuan believes that "artificial breeding species and wild species are indeed different in management mechanism, but even artificial breeding species of wild animals, if kept as pets, will also produce a series of risks."
"Personally, I think wild animals should not be included in ‘ Companion animals ’ It is suggested that this provision should be included in the process of amending the wildlife protection law, and it is stipulated in the special legislation on companion animals that wild animals should not be kept as pets. " Yu Wenxuan said.
"Some wild animals are artificially raised for public welfare purposes, for example, to restore its wild population, or to conduct scientific research and educational exhibitions. Only in these cases do wild animals need to be kept in an artificial environment. " Sun Quanhui said, "If the breeding and management of wild animals are for commercial use, they must be strictly restricted and supervised by law, otherwise it will affect the wild protection of species and cause harm to animals."
It is understood that in Europe, the current foreign pet management policies are mainly three management modes: negative list, positive list and license (license). Due to many disadvantages in the implementation of the negative list, Belgium, the Netherlands and other countries have begun to adopt the positive list approach to clearly explain to the public which animals are suitable for keeping as pets. Sun Quanhui believes that "the models of different countries are not the same, and they are not perfect, so we do not advocate simply copying the model of which country."
At present, the revision of China’s wildlife protection law is put on the agenda again. In addition to the comprehensive prohibition of wild animals, this law will also attract people’s attention on whether and how to regulate the problem of exotic pets. Whether the breeding of exotic pets should be completely prohibited by legislation, whether the exotic pets of key protected animals should be distinguished from those of non-key protected animals, and whether the exotic pets of wild breeding should be treated differently from those of artificial breeding, the reporter will continue to pay attention to this issue in the face of the disagreement between animal protectors and exotic pets. (Reporter Jin Wei)
