Overview
- Reporters later found the hamsters gone but fish and turtles offered in water tanks that were described as overcrowded and dirty.
- The setup was located in a game center inside a shopping mall in Shenzhen’s Bao’an district, according to Nanfang Daily and other local media.
- Footage showed a plastic scoop mechanism used to grab the hamsters, with the animals huddling under bright lights and appearing stressed.
- A visitor who alerted a municipal citizen service hotline was told there were no clear laws addressing this practice, according to reporting.
- Social media posts highlighted similar live-animal prize machines in other Chinese cities, amplifying public criticism.