(CN) Vet saves the pets left behind at new year

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CHANGING FACES

By Fiona Tam

Feb 28, 2010

South China Morning Post

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As tens of millions of migrant workers head from Guangdong to their

hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday, they often abandon their pets

outside railway stations. Shenzhen veterinarian Rong Tuqin, 26, talks about

animals that are rejected by the mainland's transport system and never see

their owners again.

 

Is pet desertion a common phenomenon ahead of the holiday?

 

Definitely. Abandoned pets are a typical problem every year as the Lunar New

Year holiday approaches. It's heartbreaking to see that many people just

walk away and leave their pets behind at stations after the animals were

forbidden to board either trains or buses. The latest news photo that

wrenched my heart was of a group of undergraduate volunteers trying to catch

an abandoned dog with a paper bag outside Guangzhou Railway Station. The dog

looks helpless and sorrowful. Because many of the abandoned pets are adult

cats or dogs, their chances of being readopted are very slim. People who can

afford pets tend to buy immature and pretty ones from shops rather than

adopt from animal shelters. Although there are no national statistics on pet

abandonment, the situation is worrying, according to mainland media. I was

told that dozens of pets have been abandoned across the province's railway

and bus stations.

 

Why do owners abandon their pets?

 

The country's public transport does not allow passengers to bring pets onto

railway carriages, and a pesky procedure of handling pets as unaccompanied

baggage prohibits owners travelling with them. Very few owners know that

only pets with health certificates are allowed to travel as unaccompanied

baggage on planes or trains. It takes one to two working days to apply for

the special health certificate from animal quarantine stations, but owners

were usually not aware of that.

 

Would it be difficult if people want to travel with their pets on the

mainland?

 

Yes, very few Chinese have given much thought to travelling with pets. For

most Chinese, pets have long been treated as a toy or a guard rather than a

family member. Actually, eating dog or cat meat was a traditional custom in

Chinese culture until a recent anti-cruelty law was passed, making it

illegal to eat or sell dog and cat meat. It's no surprise when travellers

with their pets receive neither sufficient service nor information from

transport operators. As far as I know, pets that are handled as

unaccompanied baggage will be placed in luggage carriages without air

conditioning, and it's a tough journey for them.

 

Have you taken in any abandoned pets ahead of the holidays?

 

Four dogs in the past three years. Some owners who can't afford veterinary

expenses just abandon their pets outside our hospitals. Although there's no

research regarding to what extent abandonment hurts pets' feelings, we have

seen abandoned animals lose their appetites for a week and whine all day.

They usually have low spirits, act gloomy or sleep excessively. Pets that

know they were abandoned often develop behavioural problems such as chewing

on the furniture or messing in the house. We're also overloaded with pets

that need temporary care during the Lunar New Year. This year, a

veterinarian and three nurses were on duty to take care of some 30 cats and

dogs. It cost around 210 yuan (HK$240) for an owner to leave a pet with us

during the seven-day holiday. That fee covers food, housing and daily

outdoor exercise.

 

Do you still enjoy working with animals?

 

Yes, I've worked as a veterinarian for three years after graduating from a

Jiangsu university. Curing rare animal diseases brings me challenges as well

as joys. Every day is different. Last week, we cut out a breast tumour from

a five-year-old wolfhound and it has gradually recovered. Being a

veterinarian is more than just treating sick and injured animals. You need

to communicate with owners about their pets' wellness and discuss possible

treatment with them.

 

Rong Tuqin spoke to Fiona Tam