Dogs in crowded cages wait to be sold at an underground pet market in Rugao, East China's Jiangsu Province. Photo: Screenshot of China Central Television

China's surging pet market has provided an opportunity for pet traffickers to run an underground industry chain, which transfers unvaccinated and sick pets to consumers. 

At a black market in a village in Rugao, East China's Jiangsu Province, pets are packed in thickly dotted cages, each of which has four to five dogs, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.

Pet vendors said that as long as the animals are still alive, just wash and groom them and they will be sold as healthy pets.  

The sick or unvaccinated dogs, such as the golden retriever and border collie, are sold from 200 yuan ($29) to 500 yuan to retailers on the black market, but consumers have to pay around 4,000 yuan once those dogs are sold by retailers. 

A breeder can sell 700-800 animals a day in the black market, CCTV reported.

Those black markets usually do not require certificates, and lack necessary hygiene and epidemic prevention methods. Animal abuse is also common. But dogs and cats from such places are cheaper, which gives dealers a larger profit margin. 

Breeders and dealers knew the animals were sick and unvaccinated. The death rate of those animals could be as high as 50 percent due to their harsh living environment, according to CCTV. But Liu said the price difference could offset the potential loss for dealers. 

A man surnamed Liu, who runs a breeding plant at a Beijing suburb, told the Global Times that "black breeders," instead of selling to individual customers, usually do business with dealers. 

The dealers usually sell the dogs and cats in their well-decorated brick-and-mortar store or online. Customers have no way of knowing that the store is selling unvaccinated or sick animals, Liu said.  

The Global Times found some consumers who purchased pets online complained that the dogs they bought suffered from canine distemper and soon died. 

But only a few of them would seek compensation, since it is difficult to check the dog's health upon arrival and negotiations are usually time-consuming and fruitless. 

China's Law on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases states that wild animals, livestock and poultry prone to infectious diseases common to humans shall be sold or transported only after they have passed quarantine.

China's pet market has been rising in recent years. In 2010, the market was worth less than 30 billion yuan, but has surged to almost 200 billion yuan in 2019.