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A second Chinese city has banned the consumption of dog and cat meat, as well as wildlife.
Zhuhai in Guangdong province follows Shenzhen in introducing legislation to outlaw the practice.
Campaigners from Humane Society International have welcomed the move, saying they hope this will be the ‘start of a domino effect of progressive legislation across China to end these brutal trades that see an estimated 10 million dogs and four million cats killed every year, mostly stolen pets and strays’.
Dog meat in China
According to HSI, the consumption of dog meat is not widespread in China. It cites a 2017 survey that revealed that even in Yulin, home of the notorious dog meat festival, most people (72 percent) don’t regularly eat dog meat despite efforts by dog meat traders to promote it.
Polling conducted in 2016 by Chinese polling company Horizon, and commissioned by Chinese group China Animal Welfare Association in collaboration with Humane Society International and Avaaz, found that most Chinese citizens (64 percent) want to see an end to the Yulin festival, more than half (51.7 percent) think the dog meat trade should be completely banned, and the majority (69.5 percent) have never eaten dog meat.”
‘Thrilling news’
“Zhuhai’s ban on dog and cat meat eating is thrilling news for all those in China and around the world who have campaigned for so long to end this brutal trade,” HSI’s Wendy Higgins said in a statement sent to Plant Based News. “Coming so soon after Shenzhen’s ban and the government’s historic statement classifying dogs as pets, we hope this is the start of a domino effect of progressive legislation across China with other cities following suit.
“With so many millions of dogs and cats falling victim to the meat trade, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that most people in China don’t eat dogs and cats, and that for years there has been enormous public support in China for an end to the cruelty. So now it would seem that in the absence of a national ban, cities are taking matters into their own hands and reflecting the mood of the people.
“This isn’t just good news for animal protection, it’s also very good news for public health because the dog meat trade poses a significant human health risk, linked to the spread of trichinellosis, cholera and rabies. Rabies has been found in dogs traded for human consumption in China, Vietnam and Indonesia, and is easily spread as thousands of dogs are crammed on slaughter trucks and driven across provincial borders to markets and slaughterhouses.”
