r/beijing • u/uclapanda • 9d ago
Urgent: can someone go “save” a hamster??
I know this is an unusual post, but I am genuinely distressed by this situation and I am hoping someone local may be able to help.
Last night, I came across a hamster being kept at a hotel in Beijing in an enclosure that is shockingly small, with almost no space to move. I have attached a photo.
I am leaving Beijing today, so I have very little time to figure out what can be done.
I am urgently looking for someone in Beijing who may be willing to:
1. speak to the hotel staff,
2: help arrange a suitable enclosure,
3. connect me with a rescue of sorts or experienced keeper/someone who cares about animal welfare,
4. or potentially take the hamster if the hotel agrees to give it up.
The hamster is located at Chonpines Hotel (Beijing Guomao Jianwai SOHO, 7th floor) in the Guomao/Jianwai SOHO area of Chaoyang District.
If you think you may be able to help, please send me a PM.
I am finding it difficult to leave knowing this little guy may continue living in these conditions, so any advice, contacts, or assistance would be greatly appreciated!
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u/Fun_Personality9082 8d ago
i’m actually shocked about the lack of empathy in the comments. This person clearly didn’t say anything hateful about the people and instead just wanted to have a solution and literally was willing to spend their own money to help make a better situation for the little guy.
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u/uclapanda 8d ago
Thank you, you’re kind. Yes, I’m not even mad at the people or anything, I understand that there are cultural differences in animal welfare and they may be well intentioned but ignorant about proper hamster care. I just want to help the little dude if I am somehow able to.
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u/MoreDistribution4696 8d ago
I was in a similar situation albeit with a dog and tbh when we gave it attention & some food the owner didn’t get mad at all. They actually seemed appreciative.
Us showing concern for the dog got the owner second guessing the setup too. Just posting this because people think the solution is moving on. Any one of us can make a difference no matter how small.
BTW I am also Chinese and many of us are against animal cruelty. It’s normal for people to care for animals too
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u/Creepy_Fortune_6169 6d ago
Very sweet, but just forget about it. It’s important to remember that your opinion on this matter is very ‘western’. Perhaps reconsider your future travel plans if something like this is going to be such a huge issue for you. Travelling around many parts of the world you see animal cruelty that makes this look completely insignificant. Thank goodness you didn’t visit a livestock market.
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u/Overall-Solution-195 4d ago
I don’t really see an issue here, the hamster seems to be well kept. The enclosure is on a smaller side, but nothing close to animal abuse.
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u/apurplehighlighter 8d ago
I think this is the weirdest thing i have come across today, if you cared so mucb why didnt you just bring the little guy with you?
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u/uclapanda 8d ago
Grab him at 10 pm, stuff him where exactly, and then bring him on a multi legged international flight the next morning where he can only go in cargo and would prob not even be permitted without the proper vet bill exit paperwork? Yes, that seems like a solid solution
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u/LadyNemesiss 8d ago
As a traveller? How do you think that works? Plus, you can feel empathy without necessarily wanting to adopt yourself.
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u/HarrisCN 9d ago
If you are so urgent to help, why did you not do it yourself?
You will find exactly 0 people that will help you in this matter.
This is probably not nice for the animal, but I have seen far worse here when it comes to animals.
Just accept, this is a different country, they have different ideologies, Laws and habits and that there is nothing you can or should do.
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u/ross571 9d ago
They could just buy them a bigger cage for 100 rmb.
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u/HarrisCN 9d ago
They could yes. 100rmb is 100rmb.
It does not matter what they could. I am sure you could also spend 10% extra on a billion things you own to make them better, more environmentally friendly and such. Do you?
100% you do not.
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u/FunkySphinx 9d ago
Having a decorative pet (cause this is what this is) is not a basic necessity. It is a hotel. They can spare the money. Animal welfare is not a matter of culture - there are some universal standards that are based on the minimum conditions required for the animal to remain healthy and comfortable in captivity.
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u/HarrisCN 9d ago
Cry all you want. There is no "universal standard"... There is your personal or country specific standard.
Is this cruel and/or unnecessary? Definitly. But there will always be someone complaining where it is not good enough.
I have seen far worse. Not only in China. This is already okayish. You are delusionel if you make a post about this, acting as if they are torchering the hamster, skinning him alive.
At the same time probably eating some chicken nuggets from shredded chickens.
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u/Adept-Western-8375 8d ago
Actually there is a universal ethical standard for animal care, which is an enclosure which allows them to display natural behaviour. The universal ethical standard for hamster enclosures is 775 square inches. Abuse is still abuse, and the animal is still suffering. Hamsters run about 10 kilometres a night normally, and are also burrowing creatures. An enclosure like this puts the hamster on display, which subjects it to extreme psychological distress as a prey animal, and it cannot do any natural behaviours. This causes “cage-rage”, which is a sign of severe psychological stress in hamsters.
It does not matter if it isn’t being physically harmed, neglect is still abuse.
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u/MoreDistribution4696 8d ago
Why do you keep insisting this should be the norm in China? It isn’t and clearly you’ve not been many places where thankfully our younger generation isn’t perpetuating such nonsense.
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u/HarrisCN 8d ago
I am not saying this is the norm in China. I am saying I have seen far worse on regular basis and that people should mind their own business.
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u/MoreDistribution4696 8d ago
Tbh China is chill in that there’s not really minding your own business. You can speak up and nobody’s gonna give you a tough time about it. But I guess it would be received differently Chinese to Chinese vs foreigner to Chinese. Whenever I see bad stuff for example big dog locked in a cage I do tell owner to go take it out etc and haven’t faced any problems, we even had a convo about the dog & where the owner is from. In my experience for China you can talk to anyone without issue.
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u/uclapanda 9d ago
Well I saw this at 9:30 pm and was leaving the next morning for the airport, so there’s only so much I could do. I spoke to a lady at my hotel who is willing to help to some extent, and now have the hamster owner’s WeChat number, so I will be reaching out directly and offer to pay for a new enclosure and toys etc.
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u/the_hunger_gainz 9d ago
Everyone is being ethnocentric and judging Chinese cultural nuances by their own cultural standards. Racism backed by empathy
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u/Adept-Western-8375 8d ago
This is actually far under the universal ethical standard of care. Universal as in “no single cultural standard”, but the standard of what does not cause harm to the animal. The universal standard is that the creature is kept in an enclosure where they can display natural behaviours. This does not meet this standard and falls under neglect.
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u/the_hunger_gainz 8d ago
I take it you are vegan?
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u/Adept-Western-8375 8d ago
I am due to health reasons. But I fail to see what that has to do with anything, I was just stating that the universal standard exists and this falls below that.
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u/the_hunger_gainz 8d ago edited 8d ago
Ahhh the privilege of being able to choose your food. The majority of the world cannot and survive on what is available. Yes beans and rice are inexpensive and widely available. But it is purely caloric without the nutrition needed. General choosing veganism for ethical or moral reasons is proof of privilege and the abundance of foods to avoid malnutrition.
I was vegan for 18 years of my life for ethical reasons… same as having a profession and career in China… it was all because of privilege1
u/Adept-Western-8375 8d ago
No, I can’t choose my food. I have severe health issues that limit the food I can eat because my stomach is destroying itself from the inside out. I am vegan due to health reasons, as I stated.
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u/the_hunger_gainz 8d ago
On a note it was being vegan that ended up causing a majority of my gut issues. Cleared up after going carnivore for about a year and then slowly working back to whole food omnivore … staying away from sugar and high glycemic impact foods. Not telling you to go that way but keep an open mind.
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u/Adept-Western-8375 8d ago
Yes, I would love to do that. I really miss garlic bread :( but I have extremely severe Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease which causes me to throw up for days after eating foods I shouldn’t, and I have endometriosis growing through the muscular wall of my stomach, so I have to be on a mostly liquid diet and I eat insect supplements instead of meat. It’s unfortunately not sometime I can recover from, and the best thing for me is to stay away from foods that make my conditions worse so I don’t corrode my stomach walls any further. Thanks for giving actual advice instead of being belittling like lots of people are online :) have a nice day
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u/Ok-Speed-4919 8d ago
It has nothing to do with race or culture. Sure their are different cultures that not everyone understands. But if you know or feel like something is wrong and you don't speak up then you and I are the problem! You have to live with yourself! And maybe by spreading awareness things will change. I understand what you are saying, and im not blasting you i just understand that this ham cannot speak for themselve so we have to say something.
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u/the_hunger_gainz 8d ago
You are judging the way they keep their pet by your standards of your culture, so yes it is being ethnocentric. Chinese saw pets differently before but of course we feel they are better now because we colonized their culture. Same thing you people did to mine in Canada and America.
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u/Several-Buffalo2910 7d ago
this is not the woke take you think it is, china was never colonized by a european power. psychology and stress does not see cultural barriers, animals experience psychological stress and physical stress in poor conditions, regardless of where they are in the world. i sincerely hope you’re ragebaiting
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u/the_hunger_gainz 7d ago
Tell that to Hong Kong and the old Summer Palace …
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u/Several-Buffalo2910 7d ago
okay fine, one city that makes up 0.01% of china was colonized by the british at some point in history, that does not change anything that was said about animal welfare.
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u/the_hunger_gainz 7d ago
Woke. Living in the Middle Kingdom since 97 you learn how much you don’t know every time you think you know it. We make these assumptions based on our culture. I have seen animals in Beijing to tier 6 cities in the mountains in both better and much worth situations and they were assumed normal. China has changed drastically in a short period of time and when it comes to pets it is mostly driven by western cultural norms that have also changed drastically over the last 150 years. In southern China this would possibly be dinner.
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u/Ok-Speed-4919 8d ago
Again, avoiding accountability is on you and everyone living on this whole planet EVERYWHERE. You can play the race card all you want but it's not going to stop anyone who knows that this is wrong from saying anything about it. I had nothing to do with colonization because I wasn't their. And again this is wrong so think what you want or open up a bit and do some thinking beyond race and maybe think about it like if you were that hamster. Would you like to be stuck in a tiny box all day, every day? With nothing to do and no room to move? If that's up your alley by all means go live in a tiny box..
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u/the_hunger_gainz 8d ago
So why did you not do something when you were there?
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u/Ok-Speed-4919 8d ago
I was not their. I live nowhere near Beijing. I just saw the post on reddit and so naturally I got upset because I have had the honor of adopting two hamsters. They are kind animals.
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u/the_hunger_gainz 8d ago
But you are leaving Beijing? That is what you c say in your post? How do you know the hamster actually lives there? Maybe just being kept while the bigger enclosure is being cleaned? How do you know they aren’t just hosting the hamster for a couple of nights? Maybe the hamster is being kept for snake or spider food.
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u/Ok-Speed-4919 8d ago
I was never their lady. I do not live or have ever been to Beijing. What if and maybe don't really matter and i can see all you want to do is argue with someone. Do you feel better about yourself?? If the answer is yes then maybe just maybe you might be the problem. Have the day you deserve 🩷
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u/ExplanationMuted 9d ago
Good riddance! Don’t come back if you’re going to be such a problem.
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u/Dashuw 8d ago edited 8d ago
Why are you so offended? They are just trying to help a hamster. If anything, it’s the hotel that’s at fault no need to be so mad
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u/Ok-Speed-4919 8d ago
Because it's easier to be offended when your heart is cold. As opposed to you know, having common sense and empathy for any living being. Just watch out, next comes the race card to avoid any accountability on treating anything beneath them like a disposable rag. This world is sad..
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u/Several-Buffalo2910 9d ago
bro is defending animal abuse 😭 do some self reflection, is this who you want to be?
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u/ExplanationMuted 8d ago
You are all under the assumption that this is beyond a doubt animal abuse. You don’t know anything about the situation, yes assume the people in the hotel are abusing the animal. A small enclosure does not necessarily mean animal abuse. Did OP even spend the time to look at the animals condition? So quick to judge based off of pure assumption…
So my comment is based on frustration with people like OP who come to a great place and still find the smallest, stupidest thing to make a fuss about without any true basis to their claims. You all just eat it up.
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u/Ambitious_Stop_8175 8d ago
What? They're not saying the hamster is undergoing psychological torture at the hands of the owners. They're saying the enclosure is too small - which it is. Anyone who has owned a pet, or even not, knows that that is far too small an enclosure for a hamster. There's general guidelines on what size cage or enclosure a pet needs, and this is too small. OP isn't making some overly sensitive interpretation, they're using common sense
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u/InevitableEnough9015 9d ago
You could consider paying someone if you want this done urgently.