Stand with Pet Owners in China Who Say that Laws Against Animal Cruelty Are Long Overdue!
More pet owners live in China than in any other nation on Earth, with the exception of the United States. However, the country’s leaders have not yet created a comprehensive policy banning animal cruelty. The few laws that do exist deal primarily with animal “management,” but not their protection. Officials did draft a policy to protect domestic animals back in 2009, but never implemented it — in part because of a small, vocal minority of regressive thinkers who stand in stark contrast to the many pet owners in China. This small, conservative group still dominates conversations about animal cruelty. But tens of millions of Chinese citizens support formalizing animal protections into law.
In the past few years, a number of horrific incidents of abusive, cruel behavior towards animals have gained media attention. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a pet corgi was beaten and killed by a worker after its owner was placed in quarantine. A cat was found dead on a Shanghai university campus with clear signs of abuse. In the Anhui province, a security guard is suspected of brutally hanging a dog to death from a tree. But even beating and harming pets is not a clear violations of the law. It’s time for Chinese authorities to follow the demands of the people and take these incidents — as well as all other forms of animal abuse — seriously! Sign the petition to implore the Chinese government to finally pass legislation protecting beloved pet animals!