City says no to posting pets

Beijing has issued a warning against illegally smuggling exotic species of animals, including spiders and reptiles, after having intercepted packages in the mail containing non-native fauna, quarantine authorities told the Global Times yesterday.

Keeping an exotic animal as a pet has become fashionable for urban residents in recent years, so a greater number and variety of invasive species has been introduced into China.

"However, those animals may threaten China's biodiversity. An invasion of alien species can cause untold damage if adequate measures to tackle it are not taken," an official surnamed Yu, from the legal affairs department of Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau told the Global Times yesterday.

People illegally importing or smuggling species into China may face a criminal penalty in serious cases, the bureau said.

Alien species which are not allowed to enter China include insects, hamsters, shrimps, lizards, alligators, spiders and pythons. Beijing entry-exit bureau recently discovered a spider in a postal package, said the bureau's press release.

The Brazilian turtle is widely seen as a deadly invasive species. It is a strong predator and reproduces quickly, so can cause massive depletion of resources other species depend on. Researchers have found that in the places where Brazilian turtles appear, no other turtles live, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

"Those 'new pets' may harbor a fatal virus, also harmful to human health. Many raisers and sellers illegally transporting and selling pets have brought hidden health and security risks to our nation," Yu said.

An exotic turtle can fetch over 100 yuan ($16) on online shopping platform Taobao. Some species go for as much as 1,000 yuan per animal.

"We have a good business now, since many people like to raise strange animals. They are definitely imported from other countries," a staff member from a shop named Shengtang Yifeng told the Global Times via instant message, but refused to say whether the animals were imported via the postal system.

Wang Yucheng, a Beijing resident working at a media company, likes raising exotic pets.

"I bought a snapping turtle from a market in Guanyuan [Xicheng district] for 150 yuan. Some lizards sell for 3,000 yuan there," he said.

"I like these exotic animals and I don't think they will present any menace to our health," he said yesterday.

China has confirmed it has more than 520 varieties of alien species, including 268 plants, 198 animals, and microorganisms, bringing economic losses of $9 billion, said the Beijing Morning Post yesterday.