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Japan Post to stop delivery of live reptiles

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Crikey I’m surprised they even allowed that to begin with.

15 ( +16 / -1 )

"After consulting with the government... we came to realize that shipping animals in an environment where temperature control and food are unavailable can amount to animal abuse," she said.

Anybody with even a tiny amount of common sense would immediately recognize this, this speaks of heavily irresponsible decisions made for who knows how long.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

It’s interesting that the photo they used is an Australian bearded dragon that are protected in Australia and are illegal to export.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

"After consulting with the government... we came to realize .....

Finally in 2025???

That's the most stunning part of the story.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

They're going to stop delivery of them?

You mean they were doing it already?

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I wonder if it took them a doctorate degree to go come to that decision.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

I wonder if it took them a doctorate degree to go come to that decision.

Probably it took the threat of an article in the media "Japan Post routinely kills reptiles"

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

Then the teen owner tires of them and releases them into the wild.

Some golf courses have mini hedgehog invasions.

"Nice shot....was that a birdie ?"

"NO...a hedgie "

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Probably it took the threat of an article in the media "Japan Post routinely kills reptiles"

Japan only reacts when there is international embarrassment.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

Crikey I’m surprised they even allowed that to begin with.

Why? They operate like UPS or FedEx. I get stuff delivered to me in the US by Japan Post sometimes. They frequently have better rates than the other international shippers.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Probably it took the threat of an article in the media "Japan Post routinely kills reptiles"

If anything, it's a sign that almost all these reptiles make it through just fine, and every time it is a convenience to the user. What are they supposed to do now?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Customers had raised concerns

Now customers get to bring home the animals themselves

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Lindsay: Notice the above dragon has no claws and his left hand is deform Here is another image of the same Dragon I found

https://www.thesprucepets.com/bearded-dragons-as-pets-1236896

This image show all three limbs and all three claws are deform and also show its case it is keep in.

Their colouration adapts to their environment hence the sandy colour.

Place the same dragon in a green environment it colouration will adapt a green hue.

With this dragon above I assume it deformed claws is the result of in-breeding

So I also assume this dragon was not smuggled but breed in captivity.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Japan Post to stop delivery of live reptiles

What??? I had not idea that this was an option until now. Getting live reptiles in the mail??

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If anything, it's a sign that almost all these reptiles make it through just fine

Not at all, it could be something done rarely so even if a majority of the reptiles died it would be possible to keep the problem hidden.

What are they supposed to do now?

Hire a service that transport living animals ethically by providing a controlled environment?

This should not be such a big mystery, but people should not be able to send animals in inhumane conditions just because it is convenient or cheap.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Darn it!!!

How am I supposed to send my snakes and lizards to my pen pals now?!?!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

And yet they panic every time I take a postcard in that I want to send overseas, flapping about wondering what to do. Should have just sent a frog overseas instead. :)

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

JS; sorry guy lizards got no claws, and limbs are different to hammies and guinea pig petties so they can move quick quick to escape predators. transporting rare species should be banned. I have had gecko natural local invaders to my homes in a few countries, playful especially when tempting you on the ceiling. walking using their none clawed paws. lizards need a terrarium and natural food source. not for me. where's my gecko in the garden sucking up mossies and ants.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@virusrexToday 04:55 pm JST

Hire a service that transport living animals ethically by providing a controlled environment?

Yeah, but if Japan Post was willing to do it, and people have been entrusting their reptiles without losing them, there won't have been demand for specialized services in Japan. Do they even exist or are prevalent enough to be reasonably accessible?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Keeping those animals in a controlled environment is most unethical

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sorry sir, we only deliver dead komodo dragons and anacondas now.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I'm sorry, what? How did they even allow such a thing in the first place??

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Bearded Dragons are popular pets among boys where I live in the desert. They are not protected in the US to my knowledge and seem pretty abundant. Our boy found one outside and kept it as a pet briefly before his mom kind of put her foot down and told him to release it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Prohibit all non native animals before it becomes like Florida and Puerto Rico.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

, and people have been entrusting their reptiles without losing them

Again making this baseless assumption, for all you know everybody used the service once after the reptiles died, or unethical companies letting half die as "transportation costs", etc.

there won't have been demand for specialized services in Japan. 

There is enough demand that services precisely made to ethically transport living animals exist, that means enough people use them for this purpose even having the option of using the post.

Do they even exist or are prevalent enough to be reasonably accessible?

https://www.008008.jp/transport/pet/ to give one example.

I mean there are plenty of business that have to procure reptiles repeatedly, obviously they are not all using the post.

This comes even while ignoring the main problem, that according to the law in Japan animals (including reptiles) should be treated ethically and spared foreseeable suffering. Letting them die of exposure just because it is convenient is not allowed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@virusrexToday 07:43 am JST

Again making this baseless assumption, for all you know everybody used the service once after the reptiles died, or unethical companies letting half die as "transportation costs", etc.

Because if people lose reptiles, it's hard to imagine them not saying anything on say the Internet. Surely someone must be asking "I need to ship my reptile, can I just mail it" and people would be saying "No. I lost my reptile to the post. You'd have to use a service."

https://www.008008.jp/transport/pet/ to give one example.

I don't know whether to thank you or to note that it'd be much cheaper to get a human from Tokyo to Osaka

Letting them die of exposure just because it is convenient is not allowed.

Why are you assuming they died, rather than that being just an abstract possibility?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Because if people lose reptiles, it's hard to imagine them not saying anything on say the Internet

Yet the problem was enough to make the post stop doing it, even when no report of this being discussed in the internet, again, this can be something that people do so infrequently (and fully knowing it will bring unacceptable deaths) that even a small number of deaths would mean a majority of the shipped reptiles.

I don't know whether to thank you or to note that it'd be much cheaper to get a human from Tokyo to Osaka

So send a human with the reptile, it is prevalent and easy to access as you said, now you move the goalposts and want it also to be cheap?

Why are you assuming they died, rather than that being just an abstract possibility?

Being an abstract possibility do absolutely nothing to refute the argument, it is still an abstract possibility that is against the law in Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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