As 2006 came to a close, a dangerous trend threatened the lives of thousands of dogs in Asia. Prompted by fears of disease outbreaks, China and South Korea both began taking hard line measures, including mass slaughter, to ensure that their canine populations would not contribute to the spread of infection.
First, in response to an outbreak of deadly rabies, the Chinese government began enforcing bans on families owning more than one dog, as well as restrictions on the public places that dog owners could bring their pets, and the sizes and breeds of dogs allowed to be kept as pets.
Granted, the rabies threat in China is very real the disease reportedly killed 318 people in China in September, and approximately 69,000 people sought treatment for rabies in Beijing alone. But in the eyes of many, the government's response has been excessive and illogical, to say the least. While officially denied by the Chinese government, some reports estimate that as many as 50,000 dogs were killed many reportedly beaten to death in front of their owners in just a single Chinese province after three of its citizens died of rabies. Outraged by these reports, critics of China's policy point out that vaccination programs would be a more effective and humane way to eradicate the dangerous disease.
A somewhat similar situation was also brewing in South Korea in November. Fearing an outbreak of the deadly bird flu, that country's government began a mass slaughter of poultry, as well as pet birds, dogs and cats. While the situation in South Korea is not nearly as dangerous or pervasive as the one in China, estimates put the bird flu related death toll at about 153 people in all of Asia since 2003, it represents a governmental policy that flies in the face of reason. Most scientific evidence refutes the idea that the deadly strain of bird flu in question can be passed from dogs and cats to humans.
While it would be a stretch to think that such devastating situations could arise here, our pets are not immune to misguided government intervention especially when it's fueled by fear. After all, it wasn't long ago that a small outbreak of monkey pox in IL. transformed prairie dogs into the harbingers of pestilence in the eyes of some people. And let's not forget that there are numerous municipalities that have active, unfounded bans on entire dog breeds.
If there is anything that our industry can learn from these examples, it's that an effective voice articulating reliable information to the politicians in power is the only thing standing between our pets and unfair government intervention.
China Halts Dog Cull After Uproar
Facing increasing pressure from animal lovers worldwide, including from within China, an anti dog crackdown in Beijing has been reportedly stopped by the Chinese government.
The South China Morning Post newspaper reported Dec. 21 that President Hu Jintao "was unhappy about the complaints and international media coverage" of the crackdown and put a stop to it.
The crackdown started in Beijing at the end of October as an attempt to control rabies. It involved confiscating dogs that were either unlicensed or over 35 centimeters tall roughly 14 inches.
In response, animal welfare groups organized letter writing campaigns to various Beijing authorities, including the police department, mayor's office and Olympic Organizing Committee. Beijing hosts the 2008 summer Olympics.
International bodies based outside China were contacted as well, including Chinese embassies and the Switzerland based International Olympic Committee.
|
