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Quarantine chiefs have warned of biological risks from a soaring number of exotic animals and animal parts being found in mail order packages and travelers' suitcases.
The instances of banned species confiscated by the Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has risen 173 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of this year, to more than 22,000, the authority said on Wednesday.
"The biological risks are not to be underestimated," said Zhang Zhaoping, deputy director of the bureau's animal and plant department.
He said most of the live animals confiscated had been bought online or at pet stores.
"We can't let the spiritual needs of some people cause biological risks to the country," he added.
Zhang said many overseas travelers are bringing banned species back with them for profit as a result of the booming pet market.
According to the bureau, 10 of 16 animal and plant species banned from being brought into China are being sold here online.
Under an exit-entry regulation that took effect last year, live animals other than cats and dogs cannot cross the Chinese border, and those two species must go through strict quarantine procedures.
Among the confiscated animals or animal parts in November were specimens of the Hercules beetle that is native to the Central and South American rainforest and which the owner had purchased from online shopping website eBay.
The authority confiscated a mail order package from Germany on Oct 24 containing five live centipedes, which the owner said would be used as part of a therapy to treat rheumatic arthritis.
In May, the authority intercepted more than 100 live cockroaches and 501 live spiders, all mailed in packages from Germany, which set the record as the largest number of live species intercepted by the authority.
On Nov 6, Shanghai Customs detained a man who was trying to bring 121 live ball pythons, which are listed as an endangered species internationally, from Hong Kong to Shanghai.
The inspectors found the snakes in 21 plastic boxes, wrapped with black silk stockings and hidden in his suitcase.
The man first tried to sneak through customs by declaring the snakes were fake and later said he intended to keep them as pets and not sell them to pet stores. He may face charges of smuggling.
Customs officers also confiscated 2,486 batches of animal products, such as ivory carvings, from passengers' suitcases and mail order packages in the first 10 months of this year, authorities said.
The scale of the online pet market can be estimated by a visit to Taobao, China's largest online marketplace, where a search for a species such as spiders renders thousands of results.
One seller with the user name acong801 is offering an alligator snapping turtle, a species found primarily in southeastern US waters, for 1,500 yuan ($246).
The seller from Guangdong province said the turtle was obtained through legal channels but refused to disclose further details.
Contact the writers at xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn and yuran@chinadaily.com.cn
