Xinhua News Agency 6/9/05: Beijing to safeguard animal welfare

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Xinhua News Agency 2005-06-09 20:02:16 Beijing to safeguard animal welfare

BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhuanet) --

 

Though many people in China continue to see dog meat as a delicacy, some of

their peers have begun to accept the idea of animal welfare.

 

A group of animal welfare organs will be designated to house stray animals in

the nation's capital, according to sources with the Beijing Agriculture Bureau.

 

Negotiations are under way between the bureau and related city government

departments on the issue.

 

Under the financial support of the city agricultural bureau and the municipal

government, the designated animal shelters will be required to provide free

vaccination and veterinary services for the homeless animals they house.

 

At the annual session of the municipal legislature early this year, some policy

makers advanced proposals on formulating a law of little animal protection.

 

Beijing has worked out a package of detailed measures to implement the Animal

Epidemic Prevention Law of China and eight sets of supporting rules, including

regulations on animal shelter and control.

 

The animal shelter rules cover stray animals, animals abandoned by their owners

and animals in danger. Animal shelters in Beijing should provide food, drinking

water and vet services for the animals they accomodate, and should take measures

to prevent the animals from being injured, harrassed and abused.

 

Officials with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said that there

are about a dozen animal shelters in Beijing, with most of them operating in an

overloaded manner. An animal shelter in Xiaotangshan, on the city's outskirts,

alone has accommodated approximately 500 stray animals, a number already far

beyond its capacity.

 

The IFAW was " very pleased that the municipal government has decided to engage

in the animal sheltering, " according to the IFAW officials.

The international institution has also voiced its hope that Beijing will

promulgate special rules to punish pet abandonment, the officials added.

 

Besides government efforts, some individuals in China have become believers in

the concept of animal welfare.

 

Zhang Yi, head of an association of little animals in eastern China's largest

metropolis Shanghai, has donated more than 2 million yuan (about 241,000 US

dollars) to adopt nearly 1,000 dogs and cats.

 

Not only have their perceptions about urban pets and homeless animals changed,

more and more Chinese have also changed their traditional ideas about animals

kept in zoos.

 

Since late March this year, the Shanghai Wildlife Park has stopped feeding

tigers and lions with live chickens and rabbits to protect the welfare of the

latter.

 

Prior to the move, 25 wild animal parks from some major Chinese cities,

including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, signed a letter pledging to ensure

animal welfare.

 

" Wild animal parks have taken a lead in China to pay attention to animal

welfare. This is significant for building a harmonious relationship between

humans and animals, " said Feng Zuojian, secretary-general of the China Animal

Society.

 

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