FW: [People4ChineseAnimals] Mourners Remember

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People4ChineseAnimals

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 4:29 PM

 

Life of Guangzhou - Mourners Remember Dogs, Cats on Tomb-sweeping Day

 

Tue Apr 6, 2010 11:50 am ((PDT))

 

http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_82/2010/04/06/12705193287559\

4.shtml

 

Source: Global Times

 

Millions of people paid their respects to deceased loved ones Monday, a

traditional day of mourning called Tomb-sweeping Day. And in some parts of

the country, people visited the gravesite of their dead dog or cat.

 

Qiu Hailian, who works at Beijing-based Baifu Pet Cemetery, told the Global

Times Monday that many pet lovers visited their dead pets Monday just as

others visited their dead grandmothers and other relatives.

 

" More people are turning to animal funeral companies to take care of their

deceased pets rather than dumping them into the trash or burying them by

themselves because they believe animals deserve a decent send-off, " she

said.

 

She said over 1,300 pets are buried in an eight-hectare parcel of land in

northern Beijing's Changping District that the company owns.

 

A handful of other pet companies also offer pet services, including

cremations, burials, urns, coffins and maintenance.

 

In Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, a company charges by the

weight of the pet and the services required. A pet weighing 5 kilograms

would cost around 500 yuan (USD73) while those over 50 kilograms cost 2,000

yuan (USD292), China News Service reported Monday.

 

Beijing Daily cited official statistics that said 530,000 dogs and 500,000

cats were registered in the capital in 2008. The annual death rate is about

5 percent or 10,000, the paper reported.

 

Some pet owners said the funeral services offered by pet companies are too

expensive, and they prefer to bury the pets themselves despite warnings

about diseases.

 

Wang Wei, a Beijing resident who buried four cats, told the Global Times

that a pet ceremony has not yet caught on as a trend.

 

" We buried our cat Wang Xiaolan which died from a kidney stone with two fish

in 2007, " he said. " Part of the reason seems to be the money problem, not

many people would like to spend that much money on a pet. "

 

Four of his cats were buried in his backyard, which he believes is the best

way to " go back to nature. " He opposes throwing dead animals into the trash,

and he believes that burying a cat by himself won't pose a threat to the

environment.

 

According to the animal epidemic prevention law, animals that die due to

unknown diseases require proper disposal methods. But the law does not

clearly specify what proper disposal means.

 

Lu Di, director of Beijing Small Animal Protection Association, said the pet

ceremony industry is out of order.

 

" There is no related regulation for pet funeral services in the country,

which leads to many problems in the industry including unreasonable prices

and disorder, " he said.

 

(By Lin Meilian)