Financial Times - China’s dog slaughter raises pet lovers’ hackles

[Guest guest]

The killings have extra resonance in what is China’s Year of the Dog. The

reaction has highlighted changing attitudes since the animal’s last appearance

in the zodiacal cycle 12 years ago.

 

In 1994, dog-beating squads were common even in big cities and the People’s

Daily, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist party, was demanding an end to the

newly popular but “uncivilised and unhealthy” practice of keeping dogs as pets.

 

Beaters in Yunnan province alone killed 10m dogs in the three years to 1991,

state media reported then, with no hint of protest. China’s urban middle classes

have since become hugely enthusiastic pet owners and are increasingly open to

ideas of animal rights and restrained government.

 

China’s dog slaughter raises pet lovers’ hackles

By Mure Dickie in Beijing Published: August 4 2006 19:47 The

government-ordered slaughter of tens of thousands of dogs has shone a spotlight

on the changing feelings of ordinary Chinese towards their canine companions –

and exposed the officials behind the killings to unusual criticism.

 

The “dog-beating storm” was ignited this week by newspaper reports from

south-western Yunnan province, where 54,429 dogs – 99 per cent of the Mouding

county canine population – were destroyed after three local people died of

rabies.

 

To track down hidden dogs, officials set off firecrackers and banged pots during

the night, then followed the sound of barking.

 

But human howls of complaint have proved harder to silence. Internet discussion

boards have hummed with outrage and protest has even spilled into state

newspapers usually reluctant to criticise government actions directly.

 

Indiscriminate slaughter was an uncivilised way to respond to rabies, wrote

contributor Lin Weiping in the official Beijing Youth Daily.

 

“This is a classic case of lazy government,” Mr Lin wrote. “When local

authorities set such an example of barbarity and govern so lazily, what

happiness will the common people have to speak of?”

 

Still, the scale of the current debate – fuelled on Thursday by plans for

another slaughter in eastern Shandong province – also reflects unusual tolerance

by government censors, usually quick to shut down media criticism of

authorities.

 

Not all the comment has been critical. Many columnists and internet users have

said human interests should trump those of animals.

 

And there has been little discussion of the canine role in Chinese cuisine.

 

Dogs’ culinary potential has been a comfort to some victims of the Mouding

county cull. A local news-paper quoted one resident as saying he hanged his two

dogs on government orders, but then checked them for signs of rabies.

“Inspection showed they were very healthy, so he invited some good friends over

to eat dog meat,” it said.

 

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/49871928-23e8-11db-ae89-0000779e2340.html