DANGEROUS and toxic live animals are being sold by quite a lot of online stores due to lack of oversight, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

A reporter with the newspaper searched for “live animals” via an e-commerce platform last week, generating the names of hundreds of stores selling live animals. Besides cats, dogs and rabbits, the stores also sell scorpions, crocodiles and centipedes, among others.

One of the stores specializing in “live centipedes” had up to 20,000 followers. The centipedes, with lengths ranging from 10 centimeters to 40 centimeters, are sold for between 9.9 yuan (US$1.44) and 4,500 yuan. Some of the buyers uploaded photos and videos to give a thumbs-up. One of the buyers commented, “The centipede is ferocious and lively. It killed the scorpion with one blow.”

The reporter checked out a store selling crocodiles and found that 74 people had made payments since the start of August. The store said in a statement that crocodiles are State-protected animals and the farming, processing or sale of the animal is subject to official approval. When the reporter inquired about the animal as a purchaser, however, the store’s customer service representative said the animal could be shipped by express delivery. The crocodile would be put in a foam box or plastic casing, and the reporter could expect to receive the delivery in three to five days, according to the representative. The representative also exhorted the reporter not to open the package in front of the courier, otherwise the reporter would not be able to return the animal to the seller or enjoy after-sales services.

Some online store owners beat around the bush when it came to the dangers related to the “special” live animals. Baidu Encyclopedia shows that a centipede bite, in the worst-case scenario, can lead to symptoms including dizziness, palpitation, chest distress and even allergic shock. Some customer service representatives, however, claimed that the bite would be “slightly toxic.” No hospital visit was needed following the bite, they said, and it would heal by itself in four to six hours.

The representative of a store selling scorpions also claimed that the bite of a scorpion was similar to that of a mosquito.

An online store selling blue-ringed octopuses, which are recognized as one of the world’s most venomous marine animals, said in a statement that “there is no way to verify their toxicity. It’s OK as long as you don’t try to grab it with your hands.”

A consumer surnamed Wang said he was worried about the inadequate supervision over the sale of live animals. Wang’s child bought a centipede online without telling him and ended up getting his thumb bitten by the centipede. The thumb swelled up and Wang had to take his child to the hospital.

Under Chinese laws, it is illegal to mail or deliver any live animal. If the package breaks and the animal escapes during transportation, it might bite people or spread diseases, experts say.

(SD News)