Dead lizards and tortoise put up for sale: pet owners take grievances with animal service companies to consumer watchdog
- Complaints filed with Consumer Council allege pet companies mishandled relocation of animals
- In one case, a pet shop sold a young Maine Coon cat for HK$14,280 only for the animal to later die from disease
A pet owner hired a company to help relocate two beloved lizards and a tortoise only for the first two creatures to wind up dead and the third being offered up for sale, according to a complaint filed with Hong Kong’s Consumer Council.
The incident was just one of several allegations filed with the watchdog in the first nine months of the year claiming pet companies had mishandled the relocation of animals.
In the case of the lizards and the tortoise, the complainant claimed to have paid the Hong Kong pet service company more than HK$10,000 (US$1,290) to move the animals to Taiwan, but they never arrived.
A friend based in the financial hub later discovered the tortoise being offered for sale by the company. Six months after the complaint was filed, the company admitted the two lizards had died.
The council tried to reach out to the company but to no avail. The complainant has lodged a complaint to the Customs and Excise Department and is considering filing a claim for damages.
Moving a family pet across borders is difficult in the best of circumstances but the travel restrictions enacted to combat the coronavirus pandemic has made the process even more challenging, with some companies resorting to illegally smuggling animals. In August, more than 40 pet cats and dogs were found washed up dead on Hong Kong beaches after being dumped by suspected smugglers.