China     

Increase in pets leads to more rabies

China Daily, July 9, 2012

• In May, a county-level regulation pertaining to dog management was adopted in Yangxian county, in northwest China's Shaanxi province.

  The county came to the attention of animal-rights campaigners in 2009 after an effort to combat rabies there led to the deaths of thousands of dogs in Yangxian and nearby places.

  Rabies had once killed as many as seven people a month in the county, Jiang Xuenong, deputy head of the Yangxian government, said at the conference.

  "Since then, we realized that it's urgent that we improve the systems used to manage and register dogs kept by residents," he said.

  Besides regular rabies vaccinations, dog owners are required to provide adequate food, water and living conditions for their pets. The regulations forbid abuse and abandonment.

  "The regulation's restrictions related to animal welfare will encourage people to think about whether they really want to keep a dog in their daily life before they become a dog owner," said He Li, an associate professor with the Party School of the Communist Party of China's Shaanxi provincial committee, who is in charge of drafting the regulation.

  The regulation is expected to slow increases in the dog population in Yangxian, helping the county to realize its ambitious goal of vaccinating all dogs that live there, she said.

  "Since this is only a county-level regulation without strict punishments for violators, we're worried whether it will have a big enough effect," Jiang said.

  Beijing and other cities should consider modifying the policies they use to manage dogs, Wei said.

  "For instance, in the interest of having more dogs vaccinated, the cost of registering a dog is lower in Hong Kong," he said. "And the punishment meted out to dog owners who fail to vaccinate their dogs is extremely severe. Sometimes dog owners who violate the rules may be held in custody."

  The cost of registering a new dog is now 1,000 yuan ($160) in Beijing but will be reduced to 500 yuan starting next year.

  "I register my dog on time every year since I want to make sure my family and dog are healthy," said Yang Yang, 24, in Beijing, who has a 3-year-old dog.

  "But there is a big question about whether all dog owners see the importance of having their dogs vaccinated, let alone stray ones."

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