A peculiar travel gimmick is going viral in China as pet owners are endangering their animal’s life by placing them in sacks and hanging them outside the car while driving. An internet user exposed the consequences of this worrying trend following the Chinese New Year travel rush. A blogger named Wu Jiayou said that he found 62 pet carcasses on a 300-kilometre stretch of expressway.
Expressing concern over the dead bodies strewn across the road, he shared a video of the scene on February 25, Yangcheng Evening News reported. The carcasses of pet animals were found on a stretch between Leshan in Sichuan province and Chongqing in southwestern China.
According to the blogger, nearly eight of the animals were dogs and the rest were cats.
“They all looked like pet animals because they wore clothes and their hair was well groomed. I think they died of accidents during the transport due to the lack of care and protection from their owners,” Yangcheng Evening News quoted Wu Jiayou as saying. The disturbing visuals had a profound impact on the blogger who could feel the pain because he was also a pet owner. He had a dog named Border Collie.
Pointing to the dangers and risk of this viral trend, Wu Jiayou said, “Many pet owners just follow a recent trend of not putting their pets inside the vehicles, but hanging them outside.”
To celebrate the Chinese New Year a large number of people in China travel home, covering long distances with their pets which gets uncomfortable for the latter. Many pet owners use cages or ventilated boxes to accommodate the animals while some ignore safety practices in transporting pets during travel. Despite the risk associated with suspending pets outside the boot, some simply use woven bags or plastic bags to avoid animal distress in the car.
Wu said, “I did not expect that my video would go viral. I did not know so many people were sympathetic about the lives of pets” as he warned pet owners of this dangerous trend. Advocating for more humane practices in transporting pets during travel, he added, “I would like to call on all pet owners to raise their ‘fur babies’ in a civilized way and to never abandon them.”
Experts warn of dangers and risks associated with this trend
According to Beijing Quanxinquanyi Animal Hospital doctor Li, pet reactions to long-distance road journey vary. Li said, “Pets which do not often sit in cars will develop stress responses such as car sickness, nervousness, fear and defecation.”
He added, “Pet animals will likely struggle and jump out of their containers out of fear or anxiety. For those cats and dogs being hung outside the boot, they face high possibility of death or injury in a rear-ending accident.”
