(CN): An animal lover's Olympic nightmare

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Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/03/oly.beijjingcats/

 

An animal lover's Olympic nightmare

By Steven Jiang

For CNN

*

" Beijing Journal " is an occasional series examining China's capital as it

prepares for the 2008 Summer Games.*

 

*BEIJING, China (CNN)* -- Qin Xiaona used to visit the suburban Xiaotangshan

Sanatorium in the summer to escape the scorching temperature in the city.

Now she comes here to turn up the heat on a subject close to her heart.

 

" This is our experiment to save the city's stray cats, " said the 62-year-old

retired TV journalist, as she carried two plastic containers full of

leftovers out of her villa surrounded by lush greenery.

 

Calling out a dozen snoozing cats by the bushes, Qin watched them rush over

and devour the rice mixed with pork and fish. Qin, who heads the Capital

Animal Welfare Association, estimates there are some 200,000 stray cats in

Beijing, after her group spent more than two years studying the population.

 

She detailed the precarious state of the felines in an 80,000-word report

and decided to start her rescue mission with the 72 cats roaming the

sanatorium's sprawling ground.

 

" The health bureau runs this place and agreed to let us take care of the

cats, " Qin said, lifting up a female kitten to check the healing of the

surgery wound on its stomach. " We have already neutered and vaccinated a

third of them. "

 

" We convinced the health officials that stray cats could be a more effective

and environmentally friendly way of rodent control than placing 15 tons of

rat poisons across the city every year, " she explained.

 

This is the kind of win-win solution that Qin hopes to replicate throughout

the capital, where stray animals are frequently culled by the government on

fears of spreading diseases or attacking humans.

 

For Qin and other members of her NGO, saving stray cats is just one uphill

battle in their war against animal cruelty in a culture that often treats

man's four-legged friends with little favor.

 

For over 15 years and with meager funding, they have been setting up

shelters to house abandoned pets, persuading restaurants to take dog meat

off the menus and, most importantly, lobbying legislators to pass an animal

welfare law -- a goal that nevertheless remains distant.

 

" Many in the government and society still consider us peripheral and

alternative -- and don't recognize and approve our work, " Qin said.

 

When Beijing won the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics seven years ago,

she and fellow activists perceived a perfect catalyst in expanding animal

rights.

 

To their dismay, the authorities have since stepped up their campaigns

against animals -- pets and strays alike -- aimed at " cleaning up " the city

for the Games.

 

In 2006 Beijing implemented a controversial " one family, one dog " rule for

urban households and required such pet dogs no taller than 35 centimeters

(14 inches).

 

" It is such a ridiculous law, " Qin raised her voice, still livid. " Anyone

with a little understanding of animals would know that the temperament of

dogs has nothing to do with their size, but depends on their breed and

training. "

 

Although official policies are difficult to modify, Qin feels her efforts

have slowly changed the minds of many ordinary citizens.

 

" People's attitude toward animals reflects their attitude toward fellow

human beings, " she offered.

 

" We should promote love, not hatred, from an early age on. "

 

Qin has seen more young people grow receptive to the concept of animal

welfare and now also counts some unlikely volunteers -- including a former

policewoman -- among her 600-strong group.

 

With the Olympics around the corner, however, Qin has become jittery amid

reports of an intensifying government crackdown on animals.

 

" I feel my heart is in my throat, " she admitted. " Many officials get money

and quotas for culling -- they simply find it so much easier than caring for

animals. "

 

As she finished feeding the cats at the sanatorium, Qin received a phone

call from an animal lover living in a residential compound near the Olympic

district.

 

" They are crying for help for the 30 stray cats there, " she said.

 

" They have neutered and vaccinated 90 percent of those cats, but officials

still sealed the cats in the basement with cement because of health and

safety concerns during the Games. "

 

Frantically dialing, Qin tried to reach the right person before time ran out

for the felines.

" Innocent animals shouldn't have to pay the ultimate price for the

Olympics, " she said.

 

 

 

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