International groups ask China to stop killing
International organisations have come together to ask China to stop the indiscriminate and inhumane killing of dogs in Hanzhong. A joint statement by ACTAsia for Animals, Humane Society International, Animals Asia Foundation and International Fund for Animal Welfare has been submitted to relevant representatives of the local government, including the mayor of Hanzhong and the governor of the province. It is also being submitted to the concerned ministries in China’s central government.
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Dead dogs are found everywhere along the roadside. |
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Dog corpses disposed in the river, causing public health problems. |
We have pointed out that indiscriminate slaughter is an ineffective way of controlling rabies - international organisations, including the World Health Organisation, the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Alliance for Rabies Control, recognise mass vaccination of dogs as the most effective method of controlling canine, and by extension human, rabies. The WHO states that "there is no evidence that removal of dogs alone has ever had a significant impact on dog population densities or the spread of rabies". The implementation of mass vaccination programmes would do away with the need for mass culling.
Mass canine vaccination programmes also make long term economic sense. The cost of vaccinating dogs is many times less than the cost of treating people who have been bitten.
There is also evidence that the Chinese people are overwhelmingly against the policy. A recent online opinion poll suggested that more than 70% of respondents in China opposed the slaughter.
International groups are ready to offer appropriate expertise and practical resources to help localities with the problem of dog overpopulation and disease control, and share information on internationally accepted methods of humane dog population management, dog registration, and mass vaccination.
