Another Barbaric and Inhumane Dog Culling Spree in China

I could say so much about this information that I am sharing with you today but I won't. I won't because it would sound like I was damning an entire culture and people which is not in my nature. However, for a country that wants to set itself up as a civilized, industrial nation that is marching into the future as a global competitor, this barbaric practice is beyond my wildest imagination. It will take the people China to stop this and I truly hope they do.

For quite a while I corresponded with an American missionary in China. Contrary to what the Chinese would like the rest of the world to believe, a majority of the country continues to be unlike what is portrayed in the media. Skinned dogs and cats hang in markets for purchase as food. Dogs are skinned alive (less blood produced to damage fur) for collars and cuffs on coats and jackets. When the Olympics were held in one of China's largest, and most modern cities, the government ordered all restaurants within ten miles of the Olympic village to take dog and cat meat off the menu in order to not offend Western sensibilities. Outside of the larger cities people squat and "go" in gutters provided just for that purpose. Human excrement floats in the rivers alongside boats holding tourists. And, yes, the residents were asked to kill their own animals or the government would do it for them. I wonder how many of the clubbed dogs during the last extermination event ended up skinned and hanging in the markets for sale - making a nice, family stew.

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Another dog cull is set to begin on September 10th in Qinhuangdao in the Hebei Province near Beijing in order to prevent the spread of rabies and reduce dog populations.

More “dog beating squads” will hit the streets to kill dogs that aren’t registered or vaccinated, whether they’re strays or not.

As if that’s not bad enough, dog owners are also being asked to kill their own dogs if they’re a “dangerous breed” or over one foot tall. If the owners don’t do it themselves, the dog beating squads will do it for them, and then proceed to issue the owners a fine.

"To pick this time to enforce the dog regulation, it is obvious that Qinhuangdao hopes to 'clean' the streets and put on a good show for China's National Day on October 1st. But, by inflicting cruelty on animals, the city is doing the exact opposite. Mass killing of dogs is going to generate outrage from people all over the world, damaging China's image of a harmonious society," said Grace Ge Gabriel, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Asia Regional Director.

Animal lovers and animal rights groups are criticizing the Chinese government’s management tactics, along with other accounts of animal cruelty. However, since China currently has no animal welfare laws in place, there’s nothing that can be done legally to protect animals there.

The last cull in Hanzhong resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 dogs.

“Mass killing of dogs is ineffective in controlling rabies in the long-term. By choosing not to implement a sensible rabies vaccination program, Hanzhong government has failed to protect the health of its citizens. Furthermore, the brutal killing of dogs continues to highlight the need for legislation that will ensure the humane treatment of all animals,” said Gabriel about the last cull.

Peter Williams, Director of the World Society for Protection of Animals in China also pointed out that removing dogs could actually increase the spread of rabies by opening up an area for more animals to move into.

IFAW, the Humane Society International and ACTasia have all been working with the Chinese government to draft national animal welfare laws that would protect animals, in addition to calling for vaccination and sterilization to address overpopulation issues.