Over 5,000 Dead Dogs, Cats, Rabbits Found in Boxes At Courier Depot In China (Photos)

Over 5,000 pets have been found dead in cardboard boxes at a shipping facility in China after being dumped there for nearly a week. 

The animals, including rabbits, cats, dogs and guinea pigs, had been held in plastic or metal cages wrapped in boxes at the depot in Luohe, Henan province. 

Sister Hua, founder of animal welfare group Utopia, said the entire place “reeked of rotting bodies” when her team arrived to rescue the animals earlier this week.

Hua and her 20 volunteers managed to save 870 rabbits, 99 hamsters, 70 dogs and 28 cats, but thousands had already perished by the time the team arrived at the Dongxing Logistics hub. 

She said the site was “cluttered” with cardboard shipping boxes and the animals had been left without food or water for a week.

An investigation into the horror discovery has been launched by local authorities. 

Homes have been found for the healthy animals, Utopia said, while volunteers and pet stores are looking after the sick ones.

Laws in China ban the shipping of live animals via the postal system and it is understood the pets were dumped at the depot after the logistics company refused to sign off on the illegal shipment. 

Yang Aihua, an official from the Luohe’s commerce bureau, told The Beijing News the animals had been sent from neighbouring Jiangsu province on September 16. 

The shipping company said it was not aware of the tragic incident, but staff confirmed they allowed live animals to be transported in boxes with holes, according to the Global Times newspaper.