Smuggled species carry hidden dangers(2)

A Cambodian girl holds a tarantula shortly after it was dug from the ground in Skuon, Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. The trade for spiders and other insects as food and for medicinal purposes has been in effect since the 1970s in Cambodia. Tim Whitby / For China Daily

Under an exit-entry regulation that took effect in November, only cats and dogs can cross the Chinese border, and only after going through a strict quarantine procedure. Yet a visit to Taobao, China's largest online marketplace, shows much more is making its way over.

A search for arachnids for sale produces more than 1,000 hits, with species from Africa and South and Central America listed. The Chilean rose tarantula and Asian forest scorpion are among the bestsellers, and the most popular species had 317 recorded transactions.

According to the Beijing Entry-Exit Quarantine and Inspection Bureau, 10 of the 16 animal and plant species banned from being brought into China are being sold online.

"Most tourists who try to take wildlife or plants across the border intend to sell them to pet stores," said Wang Yao from the bureau's plant and animal department. "Many don't even know what they are doing is illegal.

"The things we've found have defied our imagination," he added, explaining that the contraband is often disguised as a toy or wrapped in clothes to avoid detection.

Wang Fulin, director of the international mail office for the Chongqing Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, said he is also surprised by how some plants, mostly cactuses, are wrapped in packages to protect them.

"The exterior part is usually clothes, to disguise it, and inside are newspapers to ensure the plants stay moist," he said. "Then there is often a plastic wrapping with the plant inside and root dipped in artificial soil."

A major source of the exotic plants seized in Chongqing is South Korea's Jeju Island, he added.

With more than 44 million mail packages arriving and leaving the country last year, customs checkpoints in high-traffic areas are now forced to operate 24 hours a day, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine statement.

The authority said it will enhance communication with online marketplaces to tackle the issue. However, as it stands, traders found selling forbidden species face only a fine, as under the law it is an administrative offense, rather than criminal.

"There are no regulations that clearly state what can be kept as a pet and what can't," said Sun Quanhui, who works with the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Now, authorities can only refer to the law on protecting wild animals, which is largely focused on endangered species, he added.