Thousands of animals in boxes were dumped in central China and left to die.
Around 4,000 dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals believed to have been bought online as pets were found dead in boxes at a logistics hub in central China.
They are thought to have been stranded there for just over a week before they were discovered, as reported by the South China Morning Post citing an animal welfare group.
Rescuers managed to save just over 1,000 rabbits, hamsters, dogs and cats but the rest had already died by the time there were found at the facility in Luohe, Henan province, on September 22.
The animals had been without food and water for five days when rescuers found them, according to the publication.
“We’ve done rescues before but this was the first time I had experienced something this tragic,” said a volunteer with the NGO Utopia Animal Rescue, who gave her name as Dan.
When the courier arrived at the depot, staff refused to take them as they didn’t have the correct paperwork but the driver dumped them anyway, according to the news publication citing NGO Utopia.
“Many small courier companies, they fail to have the right health certificates and enough space for the animals … we continue to call for a ban on transporting live animals and the online sale of animals,” she added.
“We’ve been giving them vitamins and glucose, hoping they can survive,” she said. “We’re waiting to see if they can make it. If not, that’s out of our hands.”
This is an absolute tragedy that could have been avoided if people had the respect for animals they so rightly deserve.
I hope the people responsible for this horrific abuse are brought to justice and laws are put in place to stop this from ever happening again.
