(CN) Fighting animal cruelty

[Guest guest]

China Daily

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2002-04-09/64768.html

(XIN DINGDING)

04/09/2002

 

The mistreatment of animals is becoming a bugbear in society as experts moan

that no laws exist to punish those who abuse other living beings.

Concerns peaked in February when a senior college student, Liu Haiyang, was

arrested after pouring caustic soda and sulphuric acid on five bears at

Beijing Zoo in the preceding weeks.

 

The bears were seriously injured and one nearly had to be put down because

of the wounds it sustained.

 

People were united in criticism of the cruelty but legal experts admit there

may be no relevant law to punish the student.

 

Some thought Liu should be charged with damaging common property but this

has been rejected by the prosecutors' office.

 

Liu's lawyer Li Kemin, with Ruide Law Office, said this would be improper as

bears cannot be counted as " property " according to the judicial

interpretation of China's criminal code.

 

Others suggested using the Law on the Protection of Wildlife in 1988, which

bans the hunting, killing and trading of wildlife.

 

But Li said that the provisions still fall short when it comes to punishing

animal mistreatment.

 

Animal rights supporters agreed that legislation on fighting animal cruelty

is urgently needed in China.

 

Similar cases of the mistreatment of animals have also been highlighted by

the media.

 

In one case, a college student of Southwest China's Sichuan Province put his

girlfriend's pet dog in a microwave for one minute, leaving it with serious

burns.

 

And in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, thousands of

pet dogs were deprived of their vocal cords because their owners wanted to

avoid their registry fees by making them dumb.

 

Internet chatrooms have been deluged with concerned residents who feel that

animal rights should be better protected.

 

At least 100 countries and regions around the world have enacted laws

against mistreatment of animals and these residents want China to be added

to the list.

 

" A law may not be able to solve the relations between humans and animals,

but at least it can help some animals from suffering injuries, " said Mang

Ping, professor with the Central Institute of Socialism.