The wave of immigration is reappearing. Some of those who leave are busy with their pets. Some people take their pets to other places to start a new life. They don’t hesitate to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on arranging private jets, just to stay close to each other during the long-distance flight. Taking care of pets; some people leave their pets in Hong Kong for various reasons. No matter the pet immigration company or the volunteers accepting abandoned pets, they have been very busy in the past six months. In the wave of Hong Kong people’s migration, where do pets go?
Cats and dogs are the main stream of immigrants. Species such as Brazilian tortoises have entry restrictions.
Recently, the business of the company has been very busy. Fanny, the consultant of the immigration department of the pet travel and immigration company “Pet Vacation”, and two colleagues drove a small van to pick up a total of seven fur kids to the airport in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories, and boarded for the UK. cabin. The owner and the temporary family handed over the cat and dog to Fanny, watching the furry child being sent to the cage on the car, even though they knew they would be reunited in more than a day, their eyes were still reluctant. Ninety percent of the immigrant pets handled by Fanny are cats and dogs, and the remaining ten percent include parrots and other birds, reptiles such as turtles, geckos, and rodent pets.
Fanny and two colleagues took the immigrant’s hairy boy to the airport in a minivan. (Photo by Wang Haitu)
“Pet immigration” has become a search keyword for many immigrants. Fanny has received a lot of inquiries in the past six months. She said that about 60% of the inquirers eventually left Hong Kong with their pets. However, some pets may fail to pass medical examinations and other tests. They cannot leave Hong Kong, or they cannot immigrate because of the country’s entry restrictions. For example, the red-eared turtle (Brazilian turtle) that is common in Hong Kong is an invasive species, and many countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States have refused to enter it. Fanny also met customers who could only take away their cats and left behind red-eared turtles in Hong Kong.
Fanny’s company also undertakes passenger plane consignment of pets and private charter flight immigration, both of which range in price from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan. (Photo by Wang Haitu)
Spending tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan, some people choose to give up
In addition to consigning pets on passenger planes, Fanny’s company also undertakes private charter flights for immigration, with prices ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Because airlines set minimum charges, Fanny described that “even if you transport a worm, it will cost 59,000 (yuan).” Taking small dogs and cats as examples, the minimum consumption of airlines is about 59,000 yuan, including check-in seats. Afterwards, the fee is based on the weight of the pet, plus the consulting company handles paperwork, various procedures, pet training beforehand and pick-up services for the guests. The “one-stop package” costs about 70,000 yuan.
Fanny has met various types of guests, and the ones that concern her the most are those small animals that the owner gave up bringing them to immigrate because the owner thought they were too expensive. (Photo by Wang Haitu)
Some people think it’s worth the tens of thousands of dollars, while others think it’s too expensive. If it’s a small pet other than cats and dogs, some owners will be discouraged. Fanny has seen all kinds of pet owners. Some people are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to choose a private jet just to take care of their pets during the flight of more than ten hours. “Threatening” Fanny to drop the price or not to charge consultant fees and handling fees, she sighed, “What will this group of friends order in the future? In fact, we have no way of knowing.” She had to try her best to persuade the owners to find a good one. Family or friends take over the care, or seek help from volunteers to settle down the rest of the life of these little animals.
The pets in the cabin have to be alone in the cage for more than ten hours, and must be trained in advance. (Photo by Wang Haitu)
Abandoned breeding under the tide, harvesting 20 turtles a week
Not everyone has their most cherished “children” in their immigration plan. The Hong Kong Amphibian and Reptile Association has been accepting abandoned pets. In 2019, it received an average of one turtle a day. After the immigration wave began, the “hosting places” were full even more quickly. Victor, a volunteer in the Adoption Department, recalled that before the immigration wave, there were almost no 10 cases of abandonment due to immigration in a year. Until the beginning of 2020, there were about 10 cases of the same kind in a month, and it has become worse recently. “The number of Yijia is exaggerated. Try In a week there will be 20 turtles that we want to collect.”
After the immigrant wave started, the “residence places” of the Hong Kong Amphibian and Reptile Association were quickly full, and the shelf for aquatic turtles became crowded. (Photo by Lin Songhua)
One of the “residents”, the Brazilian tortoise “Guizai”, has lived with the owner for more than 30 years, but because the owner wants to immigrate to the United Kingdom, which prohibits the entry of Brazilian tortoises, he can only reluctantly leave “Guizai”. Victor recalled the day the lady came to the association: “Shouting, I’m so sorry, I’m so kind to see this situation.”
Because the turtle boy failed to enter the UK, he had to separate from his owner who had lived with him for more than 30 years. (Photo by Lin Songhua)
Freeing life is equal to letting go to death. I hope the owner will do his best to arrange the way out
“Don’t touch your head when you sell a boy”, the lady was afraid of being soft-hearted, so she hurriedly said goodbye to “Turtle Boy” and left. Victor bluntly sympathizes with such owners and appreciates that they arrange their pets properly instead of abandoning them at will. He had encountered irresponsible owners who said the lizard was so sick that he abandoned it in a parking lot and called for someone to rescue it. Victor believes that some species, such as tortoises, spotted turtles, and money turtles, can actually immigrate to many countries, while Brazilian tortoises can enter Japan. There are also successful cases for reference, but there are still owners who claim that they do not want to take them away because of money problems. Gui: “Immigrants, I believe there is a certain budget, but do they have to go to the step of abandonment?”
The association regularly inspects some public pools, but in the past six months, it has discovered some unusual species, such as endangered species. “Releasing life is equal to releasing to death.” Victor pointed out that turtles are not properly cared for in the pool, and they are prone to get sick or infected, or even die, which will also affect the original species in the pool. He is worried about irresponsible owners because he is afraid of being discovered. Private breeding of species that cannot be kept, and abandoning turtles at will, appealing to owners who want to abandon breeding, they can contact the association as soon as possible to arrange.
When adopting a tortoise, someone will choose the species. The Brazilian tortoise is the most abandoned and the least adopted. (Photo by Lin Songhua)
There are various reasons for abandonment, calling for adoption instead of buying turtles
As for the common Brazilian tortoise, you can buy one for 10 yuan and 8 yuan on the street. Not many people are willing to adopt it. In the past six months, dozens of Brazilian tortoises have been adopted: “In the past two months, almost no one has adopted our tortoises. He said bluntly that when adopting a tortoise, someone will choose the species. The Brazilian tortoise is the most abandoned and the least adopted.
When adopting a tortoise, someone will choose the species. The Brazilian tortoise is the most abandoned and the least adopted. (Photo by Lin Songhua)
Many animals in the association were rescued by Victor, and then he took care of them. (Photo by Lin Songhua)
The adoption department takes care of nearly 300 animals, 90% of which are turtles, and the remaining 10% are different reptiles such as lizards, guards and snakes. From outsiders, they may be 90% similar, but Victor can not only distinguish each one , Tell their names, and remember their stories more firmly. There are various reasons for them to come to the association: there are new members in the owner’s family, the turtles grow too big, they are fierce when eating turtle food, they are not close to people, and even some people Because of the zodiac problem in the coming year, he was abandoned for adoption.
Turtle, I think he has his own emotions, if you are willing to invest in them, in fact, you will feel that he recognizes you. Victor, a volunteer at the Adoption Department of the Hong Kong Amphibian and Reptile Association
Victor said with a smile that at first he raised reptiles because he liked dinosaurs, but he has kept turtles for many years, and now he has left dinosaurs behind. (Photo by Lin Songhua)
The “places” are full, and Victor hopes that more people are willing to adopt turtles. In addition to regularly distributing adoption information online, the association also holds adoption days from time to time, hoping to find a better home for these left-behind animals. The adoption process is not complicated, and volunteers will also guide the correct care methods. Victor pointed out that those who have adopted turtles in the past, even if it is the first time to raise turtles, they have raised them very well in the end. The association also appeals to those who have a pool or a larger space to accept these abandoned turtles temporarily to relieve the pressure on the association.
