Chinese shops are selling stuffed sea-animals such as turtle and fish inside small plastic bags with water as keychains. Although several shopkeepers claim that the oxidation of the nutrients and minerals in the water prevents the animals from getting hurt, this really does not seem to be the case. Animal rights groups have repeatedly argued that those animal key chains are incredibly cruel to animals.
The animal keychains are sold near subways for $1.50. This is lower than that of a burger. Most Chinese cities, such as Shanghai, sell these outside train stations.
There've been reports of animals dying inside such cages. They could not just miraculously survive being stuffed into a tiny plastic with no chance of food and air. Most stuffed animals are amphibians, so they need equal time on the land as they do in the water.
Although there are several petitions in progress to stop this inhumane practice, these animal keychains keep getting sold everywhere. That's been seen as the major craze among teenagers, and there is not much chance that this practice would be curtailed.
Some years ago, people signed a petition to ban the sale of animal keychains, but, apparently, more needs to be done to stop that atrocity.
Interestingly, China signed a draft back in 2009 that proposed animal protection, but it has not been implemented with full force. Therefore, not much has been achieved since then. However, there's a steady rise for animal rights in the past few years, with a lot of animal rescue projects being taken up to save animals like cats and dogs.
Dr. Sam Walton, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu explained how the excretion and respiration of the animals itself are going to kill them. As he told The Star Online, although there may be adequate oxygen in the plastic, the animals are going to poison themselves with ammonia. Such aquatic animals are incredibly susceptible to temperature changes, meaning that being in a bag like that is probably the same as being in a greenhouse for them. The animal keychain is just going to shake them around so much, that they will die before starvation or suffocation comes into play.
The Shanghaiist claims that the food pellet with which the animal is provided can serve up to three months, but is it not guaranteed that the animal would live up to three months in those keychains.
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