Are They Pets?

By Charmy Lai

Will you spend almost MOP1, 500 on buying a cockroach as your pet?

Most people think that cockroaches are hazardous and disgusting. They live and find food anywhere. You will find their existence, especially in rubbish bins. However, some cockroaches can be kept as lovely pets.

"The cockroaches in our store come from Australia, which are unlike those we usually know here," said Aida Ai, owner of the pet shop The Animal Club. "They live in the forest and they could grow as long as 10 centimeters. They have no wings, in other words, they cannot fly, but just 'walk' on the ground."

The Animal Club is located near Kiang Wu Hospital. The store was opened in February. Most of their "creatures" come from Australia, Holland and America. It sells special "pets", not housedogs or cats. For example, it has chameleons, raccoons, guinea pigs, Holland lop-eared rabbits and tortoises, etc. The price of each pet ranges from MOP380 to MOP12,000.

The Australian cockroach is different from the normal cockroach in its living environment, appearance and characteristics. "The Australian cockroach cannot survive in dirty areas and with dirty food. The government of Australia encourages its citizens to adopt those Australian cockroaches at home. It is because they can help to test the quality of home environment. They are beneficial insects in this sense," Ai said.

Ai emphasized that all the animals in her shop are from artificial incubation. She doesn't want to destroy the ecological balance. She had the idea to open this special store in Macau because she was very interested in keeping pets herself from an early age. She has run this kind of shop in Hong Kong for about 15 years. "I want to share my experience with other pet lovers besides doing the business," Ai said.