China: Activists angry at TV horse 'abuse'

[Guest guest]

South China Morning Post Wednesday, June 28, 2006

 

Activists angry at TV horse 'abuse'

MINNIE CHAN

 

Animal rights activists have accused Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV and

its partners in Yunnan province of abusing pack horses in an ongoing

television programme produced to mark the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

 

At least 25 activists representing five non-government organisations

issued a joint open letter to the station saying the programme -

Witness the Sky Railway [to Tibet] by the Ancient Tea Route - was

cruel to the horses used in the documentary broadcast daily for three

months.

 

The programme traced a 4,200km route from Yunnan to Lhasa used by tea

merchants more than 2,000 years ago. In those days, horses were used

to carry heavy loads of goods such as tea to Tibet. Most of the

horses died on the journey which passed through steep mountains as

high as 4,000 metres above sea level.

 

In the documentary, an all-woman team of adventurers and a reporter

spent three months following the historic route - which has been

abandoned for centuries - on foot. Instead of goods, the team hired

99 horses to carry equipment.

 

In the documentary, the horses were shown lying on the ground, with a

narrator saying some were too exhausted to eat. " Many horses refused

to eat or drink on the way because of several days of non-stop

packing, " the narrator said.

 

Activist Mang Ping demanded Phoenix Television reveal how many horses had died.

 

" We understand Phoenix TV is not the only one to blame for the animal

abuse, " said Professor Mang of the Academy of Chinese Culture in

Beijing. " But as a medium with great influence on the mainland, we

are afraid that the programme will send the wrong message to the

public. "

 

Wang Yongchen , a well-known environmental activist, said it was

improper for a TV station to produce such a programme. She said all

life, whether animal or human, deserved respect and should not be

sacrificed for high viewer ratings.

 

Phoenix's station director, Wang Jiyuan , who was in charge of the

programme, yesterday said the station would not comment on the

activists' outcry. He pointed out that the station had not been

involved in planning the trip, but had merely reported it.

 

According to a report on Phoenix's website, the journey was also

aimed at setting a Guinness record for being the first all-women

horse caravan to retrace a historic trade route.

 

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which will be opened on Saturday, has

already attracted hundreds of reporters from across the country to

the remote region. Newspapers, television stations and news wires are

all competing for exclusive and unique stories to dress up their

coverage.

 

The rail link, which starts in Beijing and ends in Lhasa, covers more

than 4,000km and is the highest railway in the world.

 

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