Child's makes horrifying discovery inside Australia Post parcel: 'It was devastating'
- Replies 22
The joy of receiving a parcel in the mail is a universal feeling transcending age and time.
The anticipation of opening a package to reveal its contents brings back a childlike excitement.
However, a recent incident involving Australia Post has cast a shadow over this simple pleasure, especially for one young beekeeper whose excitement turned to heartbreak.
A 16-year-old boy, Quinn, who has a passion for beekeeping, was horrified when he opened an Express Post satchel from Australia Post only to find his ordered queen bee and several nurse bees dead.
‘It was devastating…I really care about my bees, and the last thing I want to do is harm or kill them,’ he said.
The bees, which had been in transit for ten days during high temperatures exceeding 30 degrees, did not survive the journey.
This event sparked a conversation about the transportation of live animals, leading to a public apology from Australia Post.
The Animal Justice Party’s Emma Hurst has described the incident as 'shocking' and has taken the matter to Parliament, calling for an overhaul of packaging rules.
‘Packages containing these live animals are treated the same as regular mail…and are subject to rough and unpredictable handling in packages that could easily be crushed, lacks air, light, food and water’ she said.
The current guidelines allow bees to be sent through the mail despite the risks associated with rough handling and lack of temperature control during transport.
Australia Post has guidelines for the transportation of bees, including recommendations to send them on Mondays to avoid weekend delays and adherence to strict packaging requirements.
However, Quinn's experience is not unique, and mortalities during transit are not uncommon.
The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council estimated that hundreds of thousands of queen bees are transported annually.
‘We are in regular dialogue with Australia Post, especially when we do have issues. We have been working with them to update those protocols and make sure they are fit for purpose,’ the Council’s CEO Danny Le Feuvre stated.
‘We've got a queen breeding association, and they’ve been doing things like putting temperature tags in consignments to monitor the temperature in transit and see what we can do to improve.’
‘But it is a very large system that they're operating, and there are mistakes from time to time.’
The transportation of bees is crucial for the beekeeping industry, particularly in southern Australia, where weather conditions are not conducive to breeding queen bees.
Beekeepers often source queens from Queensland and northern NSW to support their hives.
While courier services could be an alternative, the cost is prohibitive for many beekeepers, especially when sending to rural areas.
‘Why on earth Australia Post thinks it’s acceptable to allow live animals such as bees to be sent through the post is beyond me,’ she added.
Quinn’s mother, Rebecca, from Byron Bay, reached out to Hurst after feeling that Australia Post lacked empathy for the bees' welfare.
She characterised their response to the bees' loss two weeks ago as ‘aggressive’ and ‘defensive’ until the politician stepped in to support her.
‘My son is pretty sensitive, and he was really excited about the queen bee coming. He was distressed and felt like her dying was his fault,’ he said.
‘Australia Post just really didn’t care. The package even had live queen bees on the outside so that they knew what was inside.’
‘When they finally arrived, they were crispy and in this tiny container, along with the queen bee and her nurses. I was just like, Oh my god, this is heartbreaking. They just slowly died in the mail.’
Australia Post has responded to the incident, stating that they take the utmost care with deliveries of this nature and have apologised to Quinn.
However, Emma Hurst believes that more needs to be done to ensure the well-being of animals in transit and has launched an online petition calling for a ban on the postal transportation of live animals.
Have you encountered similar issues, or do you have suggestions for how postal services can improve their handling of such deliveries? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
The anticipation of opening a package to reveal its contents brings back a childlike excitement.
However, a recent incident involving Australia Post has cast a shadow over this simple pleasure, especially for one young beekeeper whose excitement turned to heartbreak.
A 16-year-old boy, Quinn, who has a passion for beekeeping, was horrified when he opened an Express Post satchel from Australia Post only to find his ordered queen bee and several nurse bees dead.
‘It was devastating…I really care about my bees, and the last thing I want to do is harm or kill them,’ he said.
The bees, which had been in transit for ten days during high temperatures exceeding 30 degrees, did not survive the journey.
A teenage beekeeper received a package of dead bees, including a prized queen, prompting calls to change packaging regulations. Credit: Shutterstock
This event sparked a conversation about the transportation of live animals, leading to a public apology from Australia Post.
The Animal Justice Party’s Emma Hurst has described the incident as 'shocking' and has taken the matter to Parliament, calling for an overhaul of packaging rules.
‘Packages containing these live animals are treated the same as regular mail…and are subject to rough and unpredictable handling in packages that could easily be crushed, lacks air, light, food and water’ she said.
The current guidelines allow bees to be sent through the mail despite the risks associated with rough handling and lack of temperature control during transport.
Australia Post has guidelines for the transportation of bees, including recommendations to send them on Mondays to avoid weekend delays and adherence to strict packaging requirements.
However, Quinn's experience is not unique, and mortalities during transit are not uncommon.
The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council estimated that hundreds of thousands of queen bees are transported annually.
‘We are in regular dialogue with Australia Post, especially when we do have issues. We have been working with them to update those protocols and make sure they are fit for purpose,’ the Council’s CEO Danny Le Feuvre stated.
‘We've got a queen breeding association, and they’ve been doing things like putting temperature tags in consignments to monitor the temperature in transit and see what we can do to improve.’
‘But it is a very large system that they're operating, and there are mistakes from time to time.’
The transportation of bees is crucial for the beekeeping industry, particularly in southern Australia, where weather conditions are not conducive to breeding queen bees.
Beekeepers often source queens from Queensland and northern NSW to support their hives.
While courier services could be an alternative, the cost is prohibitive for many beekeepers, especially when sending to rural areas.
‘Why on earth Australia Post thinks it’s acceptable to allow live animals such as bees to be sent through the post is beyond me,’ she added.
Quinn’s mother, Rebecca, from Byron Bay, reached out to Hurst after feeling that Australia Post lacked empathy for the bees' welfare.
She characterised their response to the bees' loss two weeks ago as ‘aggressive’ and ‘defensive’ until the politician stepped in to support her.
‘My son is pretty sensitive, and he was really excited about the queen bee coming. He was distressed and felt like her dying was his fault,’ he said.
‘Australia Post just really didn’t care. The package even had live queen bees on the outside so that they knew what was inside.’
‘When they finally arrived, they were crispy and in this tiny container, along with the queen bee and her nurses. I was just like, Oh my god, this is heartbreaking. They just slowly died in the mail.’
Australia Post has responded to the incident, stating that they take the utmost care with deliveries of this nature and have apologised to Quinn.
However, Emma Hurst believes that more needs to be done to ensure the well-being of animals in transit and has launched an online petition calling for a ban on the postal transportation of live animals.
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