info requested re letters about China dog massacre

[Guest guest]

>Envelope-to: ANPEOPLE

>X-Sender: anmlpepl

>Mon, 18 Oct 2004 21:32:13 -0700

> " bunny " <rabbit

>Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl

>Re: info requested re letters about China dog massacre

>

>

>>1. Whether dog eating is a current or traditional trend in Chinese

>>culture and how far back in history dog eating goes (I remember hearing

>>of Chows bred for meat in China's past history?)

>

>

>

> Dogs (and wildlife) have rarely been eaten in the

>Mandarin-speaking northern and central regions of China.

>

> Dogs (and wildlife, except for hunted hoofed animals and

>birds), have also rarely been eaten in the western regions, e.g.

>Mongolia and toward Afghanistan.

>

> Dogs (and wildlife) have been eaten throughout recorded

>history, primarily by older men, in the Cantonese-speaking

>southern and coastal regions of China, and in adjacent parts of

>Korea and Vietnam. Regional customs and associated beliefs have

>varied widely, i.e. dogs are eaten at opposite times of year in

>Korea and Vietnam.

>

> Cantonese seafarers and merchants long ago took dog-eating

>from coastal China to most of the port cities of Southeast Asia.

>

> Except in the Philippines and some parts of Polynesia, where

>certain tribal groups ate dogs before the Cantonese arrived and

>settled in, and more recently in northeastern Thailand due to an

>influx of ethnic Cantonese refugees from Vietnam during the 1970s,

>dog-eating has rarely spread beyond the port cities.

>

> In Malaysia, Indonesia, and parts of the Philippines, it

>was checked by the Islamic belief that dogs are unclean.

>

> In Thailand dog-eating has been abhorred by the Buddhist

>majority of the population, and has been the source of sporadic

>ethnic strife.

>

> Cats have been eaten in Guangdong and nearby areas since the

>12th century, but have rarely been eaten elsewhere in China and

>surrounding nations.

>

>>2. The cost and availability of rabies vaccines in China

>

> China is a global leader in agricultural vaccine production.

>There is no technical or price-related obstacle to vaccinating all

>dogs.

>

>>3. Is there an easy way of determining whether dogs have

>>been vaccinated against rabies eg eat tattooing? (we don't

>>have rabies vaccinations for dogs in Australia at present

>>because we are still assumed to be rabies free).

>

> Chinese dog-keepers are required to carry proof of

>vaccination with them at all times, and dogs are not allowed to be

>off-lead or outside confinement.

>

>>4. The legality (current) of the status of pet dogs in China

>>(Are pet dogs legal throughout China and in the above provinces

>>are licenses required for pet dogs and is there a blackmarket

>>trade in pet dogs?). I remember seeing a documentary on an illegal

>>trade in pet dogs in China or was it Hong Kong.

>

> The specific laws pertaining to keeping pet dogs vary. Most

>cities, however, have licensing procedures that are substantially

>the same as in the U.S., Europe, and probably Australia, except

>that the licensing fees are much higher. There are size

>restrictions in Beijing and some other cities.

>

> The size restrictions virtually exclude large breeds except

>in meat production: large dogs are very rarely seen as pets.

>

>>5. Is there a stray dog problem in the provinces listed above.

>

> Stray dogs are very rarely seen in China. Dogs were

>repeatedly purged from 1949 until recent years. The pet dog

>population is rapidly growing, but any dog seen running at large in

>urban areas is rapidly captured, either by frantic pet-keepers or

>by the police.

>

> Rural dogs may be allowed to roam just a little bit more.

>However, I think I could count the total number of dogs I have seen

>off lead or outside of fences during recent visits to China on the

>fingers of one hand.

>

>

>--

>Merritt Clifton

>Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

>P.O. Box 960

>Clinton, WA 98236

>

>Telephone: 360-579-2505

>Fax: 360-579-2575

>E-mail: anmlpepl

>Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

>

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