“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” This is not only a classic line in “Forrest Gump” but also a perfect description of the mystery blind boxes that are now so popular among young people. 

The so-called blind box refers to an opaque box that contains unknown goods, and people do not know what they have received until they have paid for it and opened the box to find out the mystery. For many, the psychological thrill of this uncertainty is part of the appeal of blind boxes;People buy them simply because they want to experience the thrill.

In recent years, blind boxes have expanded from small toy markets to markets in other fields. They have gradually become a popular consumer trend in a large range of industries, including everything from clothing blind boxes to makeup blind boxes, stationery blind boxes to archeological blind boxes, and fresh food blind boxes to travel tickets blind boxes. 

However, there is a dark side to this trend. Blind boxes with pets inside are the most shocking trend to come out of the blind box industry. From spiders and lizards to larger animals like cats and dogs, many businesses put live animals in blind boxes for consumers to purchase. Most of these blind pet boxes employ gimmicks like promises of high-value, rare breed animals, with low prices as temptation and luck as a selling point. Blind pet box merchants take advantage of buyers’ consumption psychology of “small and broad” to generate business.

Recently, blind pet boxes have become the focus of the public in China. A large number of blind pet boxes were found at a delivery point in downtown Chengdu, Sichuan Province on May 3, 2021, and inside them were dying cats and dogs aroused public concern and heated debate. On the night of the incident, kind-hearted citizens found more than 160 cats and dogs being packed, and operators were preparing to send them to other places. 

In the footage, some containers were filled with the screams of pets, and air circulation was limited within the closed boxes. In the boxes, pets were suffering or even dying. Dead cats and dogs were dumped on the roadside. According to the investigation, some online commercial platforms in China do sell those blind pet boxes.

The original function of the blind box was to entertain, and to bring a surprise when it was opened. However, the blind pet box is different from other blind boxes. It raises debate about bioethics and exposes the cruelty of human nature.

When the blind box contains a living life, then the blind pet box will undoubtedly build people’s happiness on the pain of animals, which not only tramples on the bottom line of morality, but also means that entertainment will lead to the suffering of innocent animals.

Blind pet boxes treat animals as playthings, which is extremely irresponsible for both the buyer and the seller. It is cruel to animal life, but can also bring about many problems such as secondary environmental pollution and epidemic prevention.