past actions 2008. : CHINA ( part II ),
2009. > 149 dogs rescued from slaughter in Kindu, China - Jill's complete Report http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=194737688&blogID=462672099
----- Original Message -----
From: O'Regan, International Fund for Animal Welfare AND FAMILY
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 4:44 PM
Subject: Dog Massacre in China: 30,000 Dead and Counting
A massive cull in the Chinese city of Hanzhong has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 dogs - and now we need your help to make sure that it never happens again.
The local government ordered the mass slaughter of all dogs as the result of a few cases of rabies deaths. Dog killing squads are stalking the streets, mercilessly beating dogs to death with sticks and rocks.
Friendly dogs - even healthy family pets - are being slaughtered right in front of their owners. Can you even begin to imagine how you'd feel if that happened to your dog?
IFAW has pleaded with government officials to stop the killing - and now we turn to you.
Please help us stop these cruel and massive slaughters once and for all.
Horrifying scenes of cruelty
Some of the pictures from culls like these are so horrifying that I can't even show them to you. And I hate having to describe this, but I think you need to know the truth about what's happening.
In one series of pictures, several small and fluffy white dogs - you can just tell they're used to snuggling on the laps of their loving owners - are trapped in a makeshift cage. One by one, the dogs are pulled out with a pair of long metal tongs, and brutally beaten with a stick. And then - even though it appears that some of the dogs may still be alive - they're tossed into a pit to be burned.
I can't even imagine the pain and terror these poor dogs endure when the fire is set.
So many dogs will suffer slow and painful deaths...we must stop this cruelty now!
What we're doing and how you can help
We have received so many messages in the past few days from animal lovers like you inside and outside China - pleading with us to step in and stop the slaughters like the one in Hanzhong City.
I assure you, IFAW is working to end these culls:
We've already contacted local authorities in Hanzhong City to urge them to end the slaughter. Now you can help by contacting the Chinese Ambassador in your country.
http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=lsKYL8PPKnJUIdK&s=drLPJ0NALfJXI8MFImH&m=kpIMKNNxFiIVG&af=y
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Chinese City Limits Owners to 1 Dog
http://news.aol.com/article/one-dog-policy-for-chinese-city/531178?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main%7Cdl1%7Clink5%7Chttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fone-dog-policy-for-chinese-city%2F531178 Residents of Guangzhou, China, who own more than one dog will have a difficult choice to make July 1. The city is instituting a one-dog policy to curb the local canine population, clean up city sidewalks and limit the spread of disease. Current local dog owners, like those seen here with their pets, will not be grandfathered in and will have to choose a single pooch to keep.
KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY / PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST 7/2/09: Outlaw Dog/Cat Killing Squads In China Blood in the streets of Hanzhong: 6/16/09 (Reuters) -- The Chinese City of Hanzhong, in the northern province of Shaanxi, has killed 36,000 stray and pet dogs in a bid to wipe out rabies...as the country considers a draft law recognizing animal rights and making such a cull illegal.
E mails: THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA OFFICIALS:
info@cppcc.gov.cn, info@china.org.cn, webmaster@china.org.cn,
wandi@china.org.cn, english@npc.gov.cn, webmaster@agri.gov.cn,
sjz@ccnt.gov.cn, webmaster@mfa.gov.cn, manage@moh.gov.cn,
chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn, chinamission_un@fmprc.gov.cn,
ChinaMissionUN@Gmail.com
PROVINCE & CITY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS:
nyt02@163.net, wstj3@shaanxi.gov.cn, wzh@shaanxiwj.cn, tszx@hanzhong.gov.cn,
web@hanzhong.gov.cn, master@heihe.gov.cn, hhjwxx@public.ba.hl.cn,
webmaster@hlj.gov.cn
GET A FORMATTED LETTER (WORD DOC): info@kinshipcircle.org
Easily modify letter. Copy/paste it into an email or print letter to fax or mail.
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Honorable Officials Of The People's Republic Of China,
I am pleased legal experts are drafting China's first animal welfare law. If enacted, this law might have stopped the recent massacre in Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province that wiped out some 36,000 dogs. Please prioritize this legislation and include a provision to outlaw dog and cat culls. Citizens worldwide denounce mass death sweeps as a form of disease containment. Killing squads comb streets with poles and sticks to violently beat any dog they encounter. The public is outraged by accounts of animals poisoned, clubbed, buried alive, and electrocuted. A strong anti-cruelty law ought to jail and fine those who neglect, abuse, or kill animals. Dog and cat culls, along with the brutalization of "pets" to make food or medicine, certainly qualify as abuse and killing.
The law should also focus on population control and responsible guardianship. The best system to curb stray populations combines sterilization with required identification (tags and computer chip implants). And, as other civilized nations have learned, the only proven way to prohibit rabies in dogs is mandatory vaccination. I urge federal and municipal agencies to devise a long-term rabies prevention and inoculation program. Random slaughter doesn't fix animal overpopulation or disease.
In fact, the sudden removal of tens of thousands of dogs can actually trigger relocation of dogs from nearby areas. When new dogs move in, they may bring new diseases with them. The cycle of transmission simply renews itself. Evidence indicates the Chinese people strongly oppose mass kills. When the city of Heihe, Heilongjiang province, banned dogs and authorized a cull, public backlash prompted officials to rescind the order. The bloodshed not only hurts animals, but also violates the rights of your citizens to care for their own dogs and cats.
Please back animal welfare legislation that criminalizes abuse and fosters a culture of responsible guardianship, nonviolent disease prevention, and humane management.
Thank you,
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SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE LINKS
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China plans first animal welfare law
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/16/china-plans-animal-welfare-law
China eliminating all dogs in Hanzhong city
http://www.actasia.org/index/index.php?page=dog-cull
China city kills 36,000 dogs after rabies deaths
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK35560
Every dog has its day as Heihe orders canine cull
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-05/23/content_7934736.htm
(IN CHINESE) Photos from the killings - graphic
http://chengshifei.blog.sohu.com/117618704.html
