On the 19th, local media such as China’s Sina Finance recently reported on unmanned pet vending machines posted on Chinese social media (SNS) such as Weibo.
The pet vending machine was seen at a shopping mall in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. The vending machine is operated by paying with a QR code and then the buyer takes out the animal himself when the vending machine door is opened.
Although there are stores and employees in charge of operating the vending machine, animals are left unattended except during management hours because they are located away from the vending machine.
The vending machine has phrases such as “unmanned sales,” “self-pet sales,” and “0 won for adoption.” The inside of the vending machine was transparent glass and could be seen from the outside, ventilation was installed, but the water bowl was almost empty, and the waste was piled up without cleaning up.
Local netizens who witnessed this responded, “Isn’t this animal abuse when the enclosed space is hot and stuffy?” “The shopping mall is crowded and the lighting is too bright, so cats will be stressed,” and “It’s too cruel.”
As the controversy grew, the shopping mall where the vending machine was installed avoided responsibility, saying, “It was temporarily installed by the store owner,” and the vending machine manufacturer also said, “We only supplied the device, and the management responsibility lies with the store.”
The pet store explained, “The animals on the vending machine have completed both vaccines and health checkups, and the person in charge cleans and inspects them every day.”
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
