TikTok Account Blows Up For Selling ‘Sustainably-Sourced’ Human Bones
Image via JonsBones
By now, most shouldn’t be fazed by the weird videos that show up on TikTok. From milk crate challenges to fatal dares causing users to black out, there doesn’t seem to be a normal day on the app.
However, an account with 500,000 followers might just take the cake. It appears that @JonsBones, run by 21-year-old Jon Pichaya Ferry, has exploded in popularity because it’s… selling human bones. Yup, you read that right.
Ferry has amassed 22 million likes on his videos, and as per The Washington Post, has defended his business by saying he’s using the platform for educational purposes.
“I really believe in trying to educate the next generation of anthropologists, doctors, and educators. I don’t think that destroying these pieces are a solution,” he told The Post.
As for where he’s acquiring these bones from, Ferry wrote on his website that his collection is “sustainably sourced,” and “specifically prepared” for use by medical students, though it’s unclear what exactly that means. He also said most of the bones on sale were found in basements or at backyard sales.
Many have questioned the ethical nature of the business, with experts telling The Post that many of such stolen remains originally belonged to Native, enslaved, or oppressed peoples. Ferry doesn’t see it that way, saying that the bones are “preserved and used for the purposes that they were intended for.”
According to Insider, the site has multiple human parts on sale, ranging from ribs to skulls. These start from US$18 and can go up all the way to US$6,000. In fact, The Post’s article showed that Ferry had over 100 spines available to buyers.
Customers can choose from full skulls to “long bones,” “flat bones,” and even rarities, which are described as artifacts with “medical abnormalities, and hard to find pieces.”
There’s no way to know what Ferry’s customers do with the bones once they’ve acquired them, despite him saying he advises buyers who treat the bones with “the utmost respect.”
@jonsbones There’s two parts to Bone history, where they originated from and where they went after that. My goal is to uncover the second part! 🦴😊
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[via Insider and The Washington Post, cover image via JonsBones]
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