Shenzhen becomes first Chinese city to ban eating cats and dogs
The growing animal protection movement in China over the past four decades and the hard work of China’s animal protectionists has also helped create a radical change in attitudes over dog and cat meat consumption, and it no doubt influenced authorities in Shenzhen when they considered and passed their ban. Photo by Peter J. Li/HSI
We don’t often hear of positive news surrounding the coronavirus epidemic, so we are all the more happy to report this.
Contrary to popular belief, most Chinese people don’t actually consume dogs and cats and have no desire to.
Nonetheless, it does happen and Shenzhen has become the first Chinese city to ban the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat.
It comes after the coronavirus outbreak was linked to wet markets and wildlife meat they sell, prompting Chinese authorities to reportedly ban the trade and consumption of wild animals in February.
Shenzhen went a step further by extending the ban to dogs and cats as well. The new law will come to power on May 1st.
Thirty million dogs a year are killed across Asia for meat, says Humane Society International (HSI).
However, the practice of eating dog meat in China is not as common as foreigners might believe – the majority of Chinese people have never done so and say they don’t want to.
“Dogs and cats as pets have established a much closer relationship with humans than all other animals, and banning the consumption of dogs and cats and other pets is a common practice in developed countries and in Hong Kong and Taiwan,” the Shenzhen city government said, according to a Reuters report.
“This ban also responds to the demand and spirit of human civilization,” they added.
Animal advocacy organisation HSI praised the move:
“This really could be a watershed moment in efforts to end this brutal trade that kills an estimated 10 million dogs and 4 million cats in China every year,” said Dr Peter Li, China policy specialist for HSI.
Source: Reuters, BBC, Humane Society
