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E-mail Shanghai Daily, November 7, 2012
Animal welfare laws are lacking in China where animal mistreatment is far from a burning issue and is often taken for granted by many people. But China does have laws to protect endangered species of wildlife.
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A bear farm worker extracts bile from black bears, also called moon bears in Fujian Province. |
For years, there has been talk about animal welfare legislation in China, but nothing has come of it, because the issue is complicated. For example, people who catch, transport and sell live dogs and cats to be eaten, or who raise them for food, are not about to cooperate. Nor are market owners, restaurants and diners.
Bile is extracted from live farmed and caged bears in China and Southeast Asia. Zoos put on animal Olympics, in which animals perform in circuses, or face beatings. Animal abuse cases increasingly are coming to light and many are uploaded onto the Internet. Discussions are ongoing about possible laws and regulations involving the treatment of animals. The Agriculture Ministry does have regulations on animal raising and animal health.
The 3rd China Veterinary Conference held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, last week attracted more than 1,000 experts, animal protection organization officials and veterinarians from China and overseas to discuss treatment of animal diseases, the management of pet hospitals, and more important, development animal welfare awareness.
They discussed challenges in China's animal welfare protection, and brainstormed approaches to problems and the role of veterinarians. Vets play a key role in educating the public, as well as farmers and businessmen about animal welfare.
The idea of animal welfare is new in China and many people ask why people should care about animals and even enact laws to protect them, when the welfare of human beings, especially low-income people, is not secure.
"I know people should not hurt animals, but why there should be a specific welfare law for animals?" asks Hu Shirong, a Shanghai resident in his 40s who works for a bus company. He says human welfare comes first, and then people could consider the issue of animal welfare.
"Animal welfare just started in China, and the recognition and understanding of the concept among the general public is a major challenge," says Jia Youling, president of the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association. He was director of the Veterinary Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture.
"The public doesn't understand animal welfare," he says, adding that many people think animal welfare will cost taxpayers money, hence, they reject the idea and say social welfare comes first.
Animal abuse
Low progress has been witnessed, Jia says.
In the past, people criticized international reports on animal abuse in China, including the eating of dogs. At that time they thought eating dogs was all right, but now many people are opposed, he says. When foreign agriculture experts required China to anesthetize cattle for export before slaughtering several years ago, it was considered a joke. But now many slaughter houses use anesthesia through electric shock, he says.
Poultry farmers and traders generally ignore animal welfare, squeeze fowl together in raising and transport to raise profits, Jia says.
Livestock - pigs, sheep, cattle - suffer in crowded long-distance transport to accommodate the widespread taste for meat that is freshly slaughtered. "This is a disaster for the animals," Jia says.
If animal welfare cannot be ensured, it will lead to problems in public health, food safety and environmental damage. Abandoning animals and failure to immunize them poses threats to public health. Last year, 1,879 people died from rabies (and there were 3,300 cases in earlier years), making China one of the countries with the most cases. But with widespread immunization and animal control, rabies should not be a problem, expert says.
Meanwhile, China's education system doesn't include animal welfare, though there are optional courses on wildlife conservation. Veterinarians who study animal medicine may be the best-versed when it comes to animal welfare.
Even animal protection organizations and experts have different views on the meaning of animal welfare. According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, an international non-profit organization, animal welfare is about more than providing basic care, food and water.
"Being responsible for an animal's welfare means taking measures to meet their physical and mental needs and to protect animals from avoidable suffering at the hands of humans," the World Society says in a statement.
Though animal welfare laws have been drafted, there are many opinions and no consensus. Some call for significant fines, others call for criminal punishment; everyone agrees that enforcement is difficult. Some say any legal punishment is inappropriate since animal protection is a moral concept and fines are enough.
But should animal circuses be banned? What about eating dog meat?
There are no answers.
In 2005, the concept of animal welfare was raised in the drafting of China's Animal Husbandry Law, but with little effect. The law does say that people should try to improve the conditions of livestock and poultry breeding, slaughter and transport. But there's nothing mandatory, nothing prohibited, no punishment.
Improving education and raising public awareness are essential, Jia says.
Moreover, the situation will be helped by introducing animal welfare into professional veterinary and animal husbandry education, urging big companies to set standards for slaughter and transport (some optional, some compulsory), expanding scientific research, Jia says.
"It's impossible to enact a comprehensive animal welfare law immediately because many people still don't understand and it cannot be forced upon them," he says. "But gradually introducing regulations, such as prohibiting the abandoning of pets and requiring immunization, will be gradually understood."
During the Suzhou conference last week, the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the Animal Health and Welfare Branch of the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association signed a cooperation agreement to ensure animal welfare education for veterinary students and practitioners. To date, there are no standard teaching materials, but veterinarians have a key role to play since they come in contact with many people and influence their attitudes.
"Many veterinary practitioners lack sufficient knowledge about humane treatment of animals and may even hurt them in treatment," says Chang Zhigang, president of Animal Health and Welfare Branch of the CVMA.
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