Beijing to make first law on raising pets

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Beijing to make first law on raising pets

Xinhua

2006-09-05

 

BEIJING, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The first law on pet

raising is being devised in Beijing.

 

The newly established Beijing Applied Law Research

Institute has launched research into the raising of

pets and the results of the study will be submitted to

the legislation department.

 

As more and more Chinese urbanites own pet dogs and

cats, the number of pet abuse cases and instances of

abandonment is on the rise.

 

The ways to ensure pets and people live in harmony

together deserve careful research, said Wang Sen, who

is in charge of the research institute.

 

The fast growing pet industry initiates not just

security problems, but also problems of pet trade

management, pet epidemic prevention and pet-related

goods management, Wang said.

 

The institute will spend more than one year studying

pet raising, said Wang.

 

Chinese cities are experiencing a " pet craze " in

recent years. According to statistics, Beijing alone

is home to over one million dogs. Enditem

 

http://news3.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/05/content_5052030.htm

................................

Legal experts study problems caused by Beijing pets

and their owners

(Xinhua)

September 11, 2006

 

A team of Beijing law experts is to spend a year

investigating the problems and abuse of pets to help

the government draw up new laws on animal care and

controls.

 

City lawmakers have become alarmed at the problems

brought about by the burgeoning number of pet owners

and their animals in the Chinese capital, according to

the Beijing Applied Legal Research Center.

 

The center, set up by the Beijing Law Society, will

consider solutions to social problems such as dog

attacks, noise, pollution, infectious diseases, as

well as the abuse and abandonment of pets by their

owners.

 

Some owners had little sense of sanitation and

environmental protection, refusing to clean up

excrement and letting their pets roam unrestrained,

according to a commentary in Monday's Beijing Morning

Post.

 

The number of people bitten by dogs in Beijing was

rising by nearly 10,000 each year. About 70,000 people

were injured by dogs in the first half year, according

to the paper.

 

Moreover, the concept of a " pet " had extended beyond

cats and dogs to include snakes, spiders and

scorpions, which could pose a public safety risk, said

commentary writer Ma Jun.

 

No legal grounds were available to stop people from

abandoning and abusing their pets, and those who cared

for the homeless animals could only accept a limited

number, said Ma.

 

Wang Sen, head of the research team, said: " We will

investigate these problems, and suggest a pet

regulation system, which would be welcomed by pet

owners and effective in reducing accidents. "

 

Meanwhile, the center had also noticed more cases of

animal abuse and abandonment, estimating about 400,000

homeless cats and dogs roamed Beijing, posing a

potential threat to rabies control.

 

A non-governmental pet refuge organization in Beijing

once received 23 abandoned cats in a single day.

 

" Many owners just dump their pets without

consideration. Moral restraint is not enough to stop

such behavior. Those people should be punished by

law, " said Zhang Lu Ping, head of the organization

called " Humans and Animals " .

 

Wang said the regulation would include penalties for

abuse and abandonment.

 

He said the team would draw up comprehensive pet

management outlines, including feeding, trading,

vaccinating and grooming, as well as managing pet

products and people in the pet business.

 

http://english.people.com.cn/200609/11/eng20060911_301652.html

 

 

 

 

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