Reuters, 11/21/03, Guangzhou: It's a dog's life for animals in southern China

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Reuters Newswire: 21 Nov 2003 01:46:37 GMT

FEATURE-It's a dog's life for animals in southern China

--------GUANGZHOU, China, Nov 21 (Reuters) -

 

Using a pair of giant clippers, the bare-chested Chinese man

lunges into one of many wire cages on a truck and pins down a yelping

dog.

Exhausted and terrified, the animal shakes uncontrollably,

leaving trails of urine as she is dragged off the truck and hurled

into a cage on the ground.

The scene is repeated countless times a day in this wholesale

market in the southern city of Guangzhou, where dozens of animals --

from ordinary domestic pets to exotic creatures such as civet cats --

are destined for the the dinner table.

Trucks arrive stacked high with scores of cages packed with

dogs that have not been fed or watered for days ahead of their

slaughter.

Dogs, more than anything else, seem to be a staple in this

part of China, where consumers believe their meat helps to keep them

warm during winter.

But public awareness of the practice, and opposition to it,

is beginning to grow.

A Chinese current affairs magazine shocked its readers last

month when it published a picture of the market showing dogs crammed

into a cage. It was flooded with letters from readers decrying the

brutal nature of the trade.

Experts also fear the close contact between humans and wild

animals in such markets could help unknown viruses jump the species

barrier and spark deadly epidemics, such as the SARS outbreak earlier

this year.

Some scientists believe the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

virus jumped to humans from civet cats, and some Chinese press

reports have traced the origin of the epidemic to one of the many

wild animal markets in Guangdong.

 

RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

 

Despite the fears and anger, the trade is thriving.

" It is a very tough and unpleasant work. But I have no

choice. I either do this or go hungry, " said Ah Shui, a migrant

labourer who has worked at the market for three years.

As he speaks, two tiny pink bundles fall onto the ground from

the truck. Upon closer inspection, they turn out to be pups, hairless

and eyes still shut.

Hanging from a nearby ceiling are a handful of freshly

plucked dogs. Using a brush, a young woman paints them with sweet

barbecue sauce before roasting them with an open flame.

" They cost four yuan a catty (US$0.50 for 600 grams) but that

will double when it starts getting very cold, " said one worker.

In Hong Kong, animal rights lobby group Animals Asia

Foundation is also trying to change eating habits.

Though eating dogs is illegal in Hong Kong, many people flock

to China in winter to tuck into what they consider a delicacy.

Through a 14-minute video, which it hopes to release early

next year in schools and perhaps even on television in China, the

group is trying to bring home the message that dogs are really man's

best friends.

 

FRIEND OR FOOD

 

The film follows the terrifying journey and miraculous rescue

of Eddie, a mixed terrier that was saved from the squalid animal

market in 2001 and given a new lease of life.

Told as if from his perspective, the film shows how Eddie and

about 200 other dogs are used for human therapy in Hong Kong.

It takes viewers into a school for the blind, a hospital and

a home for the elderly. Inside, blind children and bedridden patients

come alive, chuckling and playing with the dogs.

" The dogs give them a lot of spiritual support. These

patients look forward to these visits, " says a nurse in the film.

Spending time with companion animals is widely known to ease

stress and bring a sense of well-being to patients.

" We are trying to get people thinking it may not be OK to eat

dogs. They should come away thinking 'that is something I don't want

to do', " said Annie Mather of the foundation.

But in China, where growing affluence is feeding palates that

are fond of anything exotic, Mather's job will be an uphill one.

Her group estimates five million dogs a year are eaten in

China, many from farms in the north that are now breeding imported

mastiffs, St Bernards and Dobermans with local dogs.

" They are breeding a super dog with a strong constitution,

which will grow to its maximum weight in the shortest possible time,

so they are ready to be sold at eight or nine months instead of a

year, " said Anneleise Smillie of the foundation.

" These are not your backyard farms, but really specialised

operations...because they know they can make a lot of money. "

 

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