Zootopia 2 Spurs Online Sales of Venomous Blue Pit Viper in China

In a phenomenon reminiscent of the release of Finding Nemo back in 2003, which spurred, sadly the fad sales of blue tang reef fish and clown fish, the release of Zootopia 2 in China has spurred interest and demand for the live equivalent of Gary the blue snake, which apparently was modeled after a blue pit viper. The online sales of the blue Indonesian pit viper (Trimeresurus insularis) apparently soared after the November 26 release of the movie, according to The Outlet, a Shanghai, China based newspaper, via Sixth Tone.

The Outlet reported there was a wave of people trying to dissuade others from acquiring the venomous reptile, noting the dangers that these snakes can be to those without venomous snake-keeping experience, while another commented about the message the film was purported to have made. “The power of a good film is remarkable. It’s genuinely changed how I view snakes, animals I used to fear and was biased against,” the commenter said.

Sixth Tone later checked the online platforms and noted that Xiaohongshu and Douyin, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, do not allow the sale of wildlife and venomous animals. Violations of these policies would lead to account bans. A second check found that most blue pit viper listings had been removed from the sales platforms. Postal regulations also prohibit the mailing of live and toxic items, making the shipping of these pit vipers illegal, according to Sixth Tone.

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The Indonesian pit viper is also known as the Lesser Sunda Islands pit viper, Sunda white-lipped pit viper and red-tailed pit viper. In addition to the blue coloration that is the focus of the fad in China, the venomous snake is also green and blue green in coloration with other populations with yellow coloration. It is found throughout much of Indonesia in the rainforest canopies.