Exotic animals prove popular with pet lovers

CHONGQING－Exotic pet experience stores offering interactions with unusual animals have won the hearts of young urbanites in China, with a growing presence of chubby pigs, silly call ducks and even coldblooded reptiles.

Though coffeehouses with cute cats and dogs romping around are quite common nowadays, for pet lovers in China's big cities, drinking coffee while playing with snakes and lizards is a niche hobby. However, such shops are gaining popularity and going viral on social media platforms.

"The pursuit of individuality gives rise to exotic pet ownership. Such reptiles are hard to find in our daily lives, so the customers can enjoy an unusually exciting experience in my coffee shop," says Wang Junlin, 28, who runs an exotic pet coffee outlet in Yuzhong district of Southwest China's Chongqing.

Wang himself has kept snakes and lizards at home as pets for five years.

Such diverse tastes in selecting animal companions have also led to a huge market for exotic pets. In a specialized pet store in Chongqing, there are a wide variety of animals including rabbits, tortoises and lizards. The price of one lizard can vary from 120 yuan ($17.7) to thousands of yuan.

Requiring considerably different food to that of cats and dogs, exotic pets consume more expensive food like mealworms and specific vegetables.

Liu Xinyu, a 10-year-old boy, bought a turtle. "Raising a turtle is relatively simple for him. Keeping a pet like this may help cultivate the child's sense of responsibility," says Liu's grandfather.

Data released by the market research firm, iResearch, shows that the market scale of China's pet industry reached nearly 300 billion yuan in 2020. Among the soughtafter pets, birds and reptiles accounted for just 9 percent, while amphibians occupied about 4 percent of the market.

As value often depends on scarcity, certain exotic pet options have started to gain favor among urbanites in China's major cities, especially among those born after 1990, according to the iResearch report.

However, the trend has also aroused public concerns.

"Raising exotic pets may pose a risk to species protection, ecological security, as well as individual and public health," says Wu Jianyun, associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Southwest University.

Some of the exotic pets have their origins abroad and were smuggled into the country. The global craving for exotic pets has fueled the rampant illegal trafficking of wild animals and protected species, says Wu.

In the first quarter of this year, China's customs authorities intercepted 173 species of quarantine pests and rejected 23,300 unqualified animals during overseas pre-inspection, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs.

Experts including Wu recommend further enhancement of international and regional cooperation in combating cross-border wildlife smuggling activities.

"Research on disease prevention and breeding management of exotic pets should be carried out. In the meantime, the selling, purchasing and raising of exotic pets should be subject to improved regulations," Wu adds.

Xinhua