Little baby tortoises are being sold in airtight bags as souvenirs, courtesy of vendors and businessmen in China. Pictures such as the one below are circulating in different social networks, with people appealing to different animal rights activists to help put a stop to the barbaric practice. But is this a hoax, or is this happening for real?

Sadly, it seems to be the real deal.

Baby turtles (or tortoises – I don’t know which ones exactly) are captured, immersed in colored water in a bag which is then sealed and sold as souvenirs in certain cities in China. They are sold as key chains to many tourists.

Other souvenirs being sold include baby Kingfish or goldfish. The bag they are sealed in contains water that is supposedly nutrient-rich. Vendors will claim that the fish or turtles can live in the sealed bag for weeks to months. But I don’t see how they can live beyond a few days if no oxygen gets into the bag.

Well, that’s beside the point. These animals are alive – and they are kept in a bag, meant to suffocate to death as they are “kept as souvenirs or key chains”. It seems like unnecessary animal torture to me.

Sources online say that once the baby tortoise or turtle in the keychain dies, you can microwave them and eat them as a snack. Uh, yeah, that’s a fitting end to animal torture, yes? After all, we don’t want the poor tortured animals to go to waste. (Of course, I’m being sarcastic here.)

These key chains and souvenirs of little tortoises in sealed plastic bags are sold in many subway stations in China. According to their laws, it’s not exactly animal abuse. One spokesperson even said they will probably run out of oxygen anyway before the water’s nutrients are used up, so there’s no need to worry. To that, I say in utmost sarcasm, “Oh, wow, big relief!”

If you have any leads regarding this news bit (as to whether or not the facts I stated here are 100% true or if it’s all just some hoax), AND if you know of any animal rights groups who might want to help put a stop to it in case it’s all true, let me know by leaving a comment.

You can help spread awareness and put a stop to this. (You can share this post on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ through the share buttons below.) The idea of Chinese vendors selling sealed bags of breathing and living baby tortoises and fish that are meant to suffocate to death will bring me many nightmares.

Please like my Facebook page and help me spread the word. You can like the pages of popular celebs and athletes, so why not like mine and help me make a difference? Go for it:

Please like this article and get others to read it. It’s time we took a stand about the abused animals that are supposed to be under our stewardship – share this story with others who you know will care:

Let us all show that we CARE. Please spread the word. Your voice counts. Let’s all use our internet presence to help these poor animals.