Thursday, October 1, 2009

Dog and cats are gaining ground in Nepal and China! WE CAN DO THIS. YES, WE CAN!

Don't ever believe that your voice doesn't matter or that your email doesn't matter or that it won't make any difference if you stand up and rail against injustice. Something that I never thought I'd see this quickly, especially by the Chinese, is to enact an animal welfare law. Not perfect by western standards but it is a start and right now that start is bringing joy to my heart and tears to my eyes!  M. Sullivan

Two far-east countries that are infamous for violations against human rights are making a very unlikely compassionate leap by instituting their first policies to protect animals. The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal has passed its first Animal Welfare Act and the People’s Republic of China has drafted the China Animal Protection Law.

The recently approved Animal Welfare Act in Nepal already has two initial projects in the works. The building of the country’s first animal sanctuary for rescued animals and a separate sanctuary for donkeys. Both are scheduled to open in mid October.



The shelter will house rescued animals and include a veterinary hospital and spay and neuter clinic.

The donkey sanctuary already has 14 rescued animals waiting to be transferred to the facility. They are part of a rescue mission from one of the worst cases of animal cruelty Nepal has ever witnessed – 55 other donkeys died during that tragedy.

The abuse to donkeys is widespread in Nepal because they are frequently used for labor and made to carry heavy loads on their backs. They are crowded into small sheds and given little food or water.

Animal Nepal, a network of animal rights activists, hopes the new Animal Welfare Act will, “Raise awareness against animal cruelty.” The group has been fighting for the new law for many years.



The China Animal Protection Law 

In China, the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is very proud of the drafted Animal Protection Law about to be considered by the Chinese government. The organization has been trying to get legislation like this passed for more than a decade.

Paul Littlefair, senior program manager with the RSPCA’s international department said, “It is a very significant landmark – when it is passed it will be the first time in China’s history that the state is sending a clear message to every citizen: ‘the way we treat animals, matters’.”

The Chinese Animal Protection Law encompasses a vast area of animal welfare. It addresses the deliberate cruelty to animals and the inhumane culling methods used against dogs. It also stops the live skinning of animals for their fur and the feeding of live farm animals to big cats in zoos and wildlife parks.
 
Overall it protects six categories of animals, those on farms, in laboratories, pets, working animals, animals in entertainment and wild animals.

The RSPCA is committed to staying in China to see that all of these initiatives are implemented. The group will also promote education to the public about many of the misconceptions they have regarding animals. Many Chinese believe the cruel practice of culling dogs is the only method of destroying rabies and are unaware that vaccines are available for both the prevention of the disease and to cure it once someone has been affected. Furthermore the organization will help oversee that the new law is enforced.

Legal experts from the government have put the final touches on the proposal and sent it to be reviewed. Chang Jiwen, who helped draft the law said, “It’s different from Western laws. For example, we won’t require keepers to give dogs shelters as most Chinese cannot afford that. Only people who unnecessarily and intentionally abuse animals will be punished.” He hopes regulations in the future will be more sophisticated and move toward Western laws.

However even before the China Animal Protection Law has been voted on, it is being credited with stopping the latest dog culling that was ordered to begin this week.


14 comments:

Ruby and Penny said...

We hope the Chinese Animal Protection Law is passes. Great news about the culling being stopped.
Love Ruby & Penny

Anya said...

Interesting but touching post ;(
I wish I could help !!

Maxmom said...

Thank you for always keeping us informed! Much appreciated.

You might be interested (if you haven't visited already?) in :
http://theanimaldoctor.blogspot.com/
These poor souls are battling the effects of the current Typhoon. I am sure there are many such compassionate people, but they seem so alone in their efforts.
Licks
MAXDOG IN SOUTH AFRICA

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Too bad we can't all vote but it is good to see that some progress is being made. Little steps are better than none.

Woos, the OP Pack

Emma Rose said...

This is good news. It's a start.
Thanks for telling us.

Kisses,
Emma Rose

Anonymous said...

Wow that is great news, def a giant step in the right direction! Hopefully things continue to go in that direction!

Astrid Keel said...

well, though we may not view it as perfect, at least they are getting started!

Sam said...

A step in the right direction. A little progress is better than no progress at all.

Dog By Nature said...

It's a start, hurray!

Teddy Bear said...

Thank you so much for this post. We are so thankful for the progress.

Love,
Teddy Bear

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

A good start but all of us have a long way to go BUT a small step starts our journey along the trail!

Tank woo fur sharing!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Anonymous said...

That's very good news. Sometimes it takes ages for things to change in those two countries.
- TBH&K

Raising Addie said...

Great start!

Thank you for the info!

Also, thank you soooo much for the widget on Kuma! It is perfect! We sure hope that sweet baby is found soon!

Chasing my tale...
Addie, Lucie, and Hailey

P.S. While we were reading your post we were admiring your pictures of Savannah and Tony. Such beautiful pups. We can tell how much you loved them and how much they are missed. Your quotes brought us tears. And then we saw sweet Domi. More tears. Then thoughts of the pups we lost flood our mind. Wonderful thoughts that make us smile. We are lucky to have wonderful dogs in our lives!

Nala & Robin said...

Yay, that is good news! We're glad the dog culling in China was stopped..