Dogs found hanging from trees. Cats found dead with clear signs of abuse. Despite all of these instances of horrific and violent animal abuse, China still does not have comprehensive policy banning animal cruelty. China has more pet owners than any other nation in the world besides the United States. So why do the few laws that exist primarily deal with animal "management," not their protection?
Sign now to implore the Chinese government to finally pass legislation protecting beloved animals in homes!
The conversation around animal cruelty in China is not new. A policy to protect domestic animals was drafted in 2009, but was never implemented, in part because of a small, vocal minority of conservative thinkers in China. In fact, that small group -- which holds extremely regressive and problematic views on the value of animal lives -- still dominates conversations about animal cruelty in China, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Chinese people support formalizing animal protection into law.
Since then, a number of horrific incidents of abusive, cruel behavior towards animals have received media attention. At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, a pet corgi was beaten and killed by a worker after its owner was placed in quarantine. Not long after, a cat was found dead on a Shanghai university campus with clear signs of abuse. In the Anhui province, a security guard is suspected of brutally hanging a dog to death from a tree. These are not isolated incidents, but patterns of abuse of animals in a country where beating and harming them is not in violation of any laws.
In China, the majority's voice is clear – dogs, cats, and other pets are companions to be loved, cherished, and protected.
But the longer China's government waits to implement the basic animal cruelty policy that its citizens want, the more animals that will be abused and killed in the process. The time is now! Sign the petition if you agree!
