|
|||||||||||
|
|
ACTAsia Press Statement - 07/11/2006 Over 35? Condemned to death Panic hits dog owners in Beijing What if you had to hide your dog from the authorities, or take it away from your home to stop it from being beaten to death? If you were a dog owner in Beijing, and you happened to own a German Shepherd, St Bernard, Golden Retriever, Husky, Collie, Shetland Sheepdog or even a Cocker Spaniel, you could get a visit from the authorities. They have been given the power to enter your home and drag your canine friend away. Your dog’s only fault could be its size – any dog above 35cm in height has been classified as ‘big’ in Beijing, and these dogs, along with others on the ‘dangerous’ list, are no longer allowed in major parts of the city. Inhumane destruction of dogs is nothing new in China – in July this year, more than 50,000 dogs were killed by the authorities because of a rabies scare. Methods used included electrocution, strangulation, poison and even beating them to death. Beijing appears to be following up on this policy by enforcing a 2003 regulation which does not allow the keeping of 41 ‘dangerous’ breeds1 or any breed with a height of more than 35cm (14 inches) in its 8 focused management areas. From November 7th, the authorities will enter people’s homes to confiscate, and presumably kill, any dog that does not meet its regulations. All unlicensed animals, and any house with more than one dog, will also be affected in the same way. The city claims that it will remove all ‘big’ and ‘dangerous’ dogs from Beijing within a month. There an estimated 1 million pet dogs in Beijing, of which just above half are registered2. It is admirable that Beijing is trying to enforce dog management policies to solve issues such as dog bites, rabies and environmental pollution - however, their inhumane and irrational methods are not going to improve the situation. The Beijing authorities have made a direct connection between the size of a dog and the danger it poses to humans. This does not appear to have any supporting evidence, as many of the breeds on their list are not seen as dangerous in other parts of the world. Also, any large dog is supposedly a danger, which is totally unscientific. Ostensibly this sudden crackdown is due to the spread of rabies, increasing stray populations, and, according to one Beijing official, concern that ‘big dogs are causing fear in the public, particularly in the elderly, children and pregnant women, and they also attack other dogs.”3 However, that does not explain the sudden decision to enforce a 3-year-old regulation. Sceptics in China have put forward other reasons – it is possible that this is a step taken for the approaching Olympics, a precursor to banning pet ownership, or a reaction to the adverse media coverage of the summer’s dog massacre. Thousands of dog owners in Beijing have reacted with concern and distress to this new action by the authorities. Pei Su, Executive Director of ACTAsia for Animals, commented: “This policy will cost thousands of friendly dogs their lives. It is likely that these unreasonable measures will spread to the rest of the country, causing many more inhumane deaths. We urge the Beijing municipality to amend its current list of dangerous breeds, and cancel height restrictions for licences.” Professor Zu, Epidemiology Professor at An Huei University, comments: “There are many effective measures that can be taken to control and prevent rabies in China, for example, promoting responsible ownership, mass vaccination, improving rabies vaccine quality in China, and keeping rural animals out of urban areas. Mass culling appears to be an easy option for rabies control, but its ineffectiveness has been proved by collaborative studies with the WHO in many countries.” ACTAsia urges the Beijing authorities to implement humane dog management and follow WHO-recommended mass dog vaccinations as an effective rabies control policy4. ACTAsia has also sent guidelines and suggestions on humane dog population management and rabies control to the Chinese authorities, and asks them to examine these guidelines and implement a more humane, effective policy in the country. Email: info@actasia.org ACTAsia for Animals is an organisation set up by experienced Asian animal activists to develop and promote sustainable and professional animal advocacy. ACTAsia represents Action and Compassion Together. ACTAsia is currently based in India, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Relevant news articles and image links: News articles in Chinese Beijing focuses on checking big dogs, aims to have no dogs over 35cm in height by the end of the year in Beijing’s prioritised areas: 03/11/06 http://beijing.qianlong.com/3825/2006/11/03/134@3491446.htm Shen Yang City Police conduct major dog-culling exercise; beat unlicensed dogs on the streets: 02/11/06 http://www.news365.com.cn/gdtp/200611/t20061102_1158967.htm From this month big (over 35cm in height) and unlicensed dogs found in prioritised areas of Beijing will be confiscated: 01/11/06 Next month Beijing authorities will enter people’s homes searching for big and unlicensed dogs: 26/10/06 Crackdown on homes with more than one dog in prioritised areas of Beijing: 26/10/06 Chang Chuan city cracks down on illegal dog keeping. From today dogs cannot be walked between 7:00am – 7:00pm: 13/10/06 Wu Hang city sets up a team of 300 people for culling: 25/10/06
Beijing reinforces supervision on dog ownership: 24/10/06
1. List of dangerous dog breeds (Chinese) according to the Beijing Dog Keeping Regulations, 2003. 2. Xinhua Online 22/10/06 3. Beijing Evening News Article 01/11/06 4. WHO “Controlling rabies in dogs: what to do – what to avoid doing?” |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
