China May Ban Eating Dogs And Cats

[samoyedman]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/0...x.html?hpt=Sbin

(video at above link).

Guangzhou, China (CNN) -- Dogs bark and whine behind high chain-link fences, some of them gnawing the wire so hard they bleed at the mouths while cats packed into crowded cages cower in fear if anyone approaches.

This isn't a pet store -- it's a meat market in Guangzhou, a city in southern China where eating cats and dogs is common practice.

At the Han River Dog Meat Restaurant in central Guangzhou, diners can choose from a long list of menu items, including dog soup, dog steak, dog with tofu and more. In the kitchen, the chef chops up meat for dog hot pot, one of the more popular dishes. Most customers like it spicy.

"Dog meat is good for your health and metabolism," explains Li, the hostess who declined to give her first name. "In the summer it helps you sweat."

Should cat and dog meat be banned?

But these local restaurants may have to find a new specialty. The Chinese government is considering legislation that would make eating cats and dogs illegal.

Professor Chang Jiwen of the Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences is one of the law's top campaigners. "Cats and dogs are loyal friends to humans," he said. "A ban on eating them would show China has reached a new level of civilization."

Eating dog meat is a long-standing culinary tradition not just in China, but also Korea. Cat meat can be found on the menu in China, Vietnam and even parts of South America.

The Chinese government has signaled a willingness to take the meat off the market. To avoid upsetting international visitors during the Beijing Olympics, officials ordered dog meat off the menus at local markets. Officials in Guangzhou have warned vendors to stop selling it ahead of the Asian Games which will be held there later this year.

The ban on eating dog and cat meat is part of a larger proposal to toughen laws on animal welfare. Individual violators could face up to 15 days in prison and a small fine. Businesses found guilty of selling the meat risk fines up to 500,000 yuan ($73,500.)

The legislation is gaining support from China's growing number of pet owners. With living standards rising and disposable income growing, more Guangzhou residents are investing in house pets.

"I would never eat dog meat," said Louisa Yong, as she clutches her pet cocker spaniel. "It's so cruel!"

Meat vendors have a different view.

"The dogs you raise at home, you shouldn't eat," said Pan, a butcher who also declined to give his first name. "The kind raised for eating, we can eat those."

Many of the dogs and cats sold for meat are specially raised on farms. But Chang said there is always a chance they're someone's lost or stolen pet.

In anticipation of the new ban, dog and cat meat has become more difficult to find, though some vendors say they will keep selling it as long as they can.

"The legislation will definitely affect our restaurant," said Li. "We'll just wait to see the result."

And it seems restaurants don't necessarily need to change their menus anytime soon. According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the law prohibiting cat and dog meat could take as long as a decade to pass. Until then it's a la carte, from the cage into the kitchen.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

There are many Chinese now who own pets, and many Chinese are speaking out against dog and cat eating. While there is a market it will continue, but attitudes are changing and if these laws are brought in and the authoroties are strict, the practice will decline.

In Korea no body takes any notice they have had a ban on dog meat for 25 years, and yet there are dog meat restaurants and markets openly doing what they like.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Lo Pan

[Guest Tess32]

*Waits for the 'but we kill cows, no diff' argument*.

[Faolmor]

About freaking time.

[sandgrubber]

If sentience is what determines what we should and shouldn't eat, I think 'civilised' countries should ban eating pork. Pigs don't make good house pets, but they are amazingly smart. I'm glad to see the Chinese moving in this direction . . . but I think we need to look at what we eat as well as what others eat. Even if we continue eating bacon, we should be willing to critically look at factory farming of pigs.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

*Waits for the 'but we kill cows, no diff' argument*.

Thats what the Koreans say. The Koreans were outraged in 2002 (World Cup) when the rest of the world suggested that perhaps they should enforce their own laws. They said exactly that.

We don't beat our animals to death with metal bars, hang them (not to break the neck, but to suffocate), boil them alive, ect. Just goes to show their attitude. I dont think they make any real attempts at secrecy regarding those practices, but they just don't think it is relevant.

[WreckitWhippet]

*Waits for the 'but we kill cows, no diff' argument*.

It's not any different, we do kill and eat cows, along with pigs. People throughout time have eaten just about anything that can be eaten.

As long as they aren't killing and eating a dog that I've bred, I don't have any worries with it.

Tourists and people from overseas are often horrified that Australians eat what's on our coat of arms too. They'd probably be devastated to find out that I feed Skippy to my dogs 4 or 5 days a week too.

[poodlefan]

I worry far more about the conditions that any food animal is kept in and how it is slaughtered than the species itself.

One man's pet is another man's food.

[spottychick]

Well I don't eat cows, pigs etc anyway. But the main point is that the conditions these animals are being kept in prior to be killed is absolutely appalling.

Mind you, the way our food animals are kept isn't always much better - one of the reasons I stopped eating them.

I do feel there's a difference between cows/sheep etc and dogs/cats tho - it's probably a cultural thing but there ya are - I can't help that.

[WoofnHoof]

I worry far more about the conditions that any food animal is kept in and how it is slaughtered than the species itself.

One man's pet is another man's food.

Exactly, although the species does have an impact on how well it copes with being treated as a food animal, particularly if they are not selectively bred for the meat trade.

Take thoroughbreds for example they are bred and raised to have extremely strong flight responses which puts them at a distinct disadvantage when being loaded, transported and penned in groups which they often are for meat. Similarly dogs in china are penned in cages together regardless of whether they are male or female or compatible in temperament, in order to prevent fighting and biting they have tin cans put over their muzzles so they can't damage each other in transport - of course the damage the tin can does is immaterial to the handler because it's on the head.

There are often very good reasons that the majority of our mass produced meat animals are only a few species because they are the best suited for the purpose, and have been selectively bred for that one purpose for hundreds of years.

[poodlefan]

There are often very good reasons that the majority of our mass produced meat animals are only a few species because they are the best suited for the purpose, and have been selectively bred for that one purpose for hundreds of years.

However new methods of containment have impacted on the suitability of many traditional livestock breeds - notably chickens and pigs. Not all cope with close confinement in large numbers.. and I prefer not to buy meat from such sources.

[k9angel]

This disgusts me.

Are they going to ban skinning them alive for their fur aswell?????

I seen a doco once on how they were prepared for eating. I wont go in to detail but it is revolting. The dog dies a slow and painful death.

We (my neighbour and I - she is from Thailand) were only talking about this the other day.

Google "Dogs being skinned alive for fur" (PLEASE BE WARNED IT IS NOT PRETTY - DONT LOOK if youre like me and cant stand to see an animal suffer) it will also have info on them being eaten.

I was heavily pregnant when I did this, (3 yrs ago) I found it by accident whilst I was at work. I cried and cried everyday for weeks, feeling so helpless I was so far away and couldnt do any thing. I drove around with BOYCOTT BEIJING (Olympics) stickers on my car and signed that many petitions. (Not that it would help )

The cruel, horrendous conditions these animals are kept in, the sad, slow way they die. Tied to a pole, stabbed (a main artery near the groin/back leg?) and left to scream and struggle as they slowly bleed to death, then many are still alive as they are skinned for their fur and meat. :p

Oh and dogs are not only farmed, pets are also stolen for this purpose.

It IS disgusting and should be STOPPED.

I could never visit a market in China.

[poochmad]

Seriously, for a country that still uses soon to be extinct animals for their own gratification, is it any wonder that they eat what we regard as pets?

[poodlefan]

Seriously, for a country that still uses soon to be extinct animals for their own gratification, is it any wonder that they eat what we regard as pets?

Seriously, you need to avoid generalising about a country that contains a raft of different cultures. Dog eating is a regional and fairly limited practice in China.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

They eat all kinds of things, like they say, the Chinese will eat anything with legs, except their dinner table.

Its not the act of eating the dog I have the problem with, it's the way they are kept and particularly the way they are killed which is the problem.

It's like the guy in the link says, Chinese give an impression of being uncivilized with practices like this. The government tries to prove they care about animal rights with various high profile conservation efforts, but then when you look at this, what message does it send. I think the Chinese government will go through with this simply to benefit their image. Fingers crossed.

[sandgrubber]

*Waits for the 'but we kill cows, no diff' argument*.

Thats what the Koreans say. The Koreans were outraged in 2002 (World Cup) when the rest of the world suggested that perhaps they should enforce their own laws. They said exactly that.

We don't beat our animals to death with metal bars, hang them (not to break the neck, but to suffocate), boil them alive, ect. Just goes to show their attitude. I dont think they make any real attempts at secrecy regarding those practices, but they just don't think it is relevant.

Sounds like a racist proclaimation to me.

'They' is a billion plus people spread out over an area much larger than Australia, with a history that goes back well before our year 0. No question some awful things happen, and some authorities turn a blind eye. But I think you need to be careful about generalising.

I don't think dog fighting is popular in either China or Korea (though it seems to have some history in Japan???) . . . it's illegal here, but from what I can see, the law doesn't do much to obliterate it. Is blood sport more humane than tenderising an animal while it is live? Yuck. Both are detestable. The 'eating' tradition, at least, doesn't seem to have a group of people getting their rocks off by watching an animal suffer . . . and thus feeding into child abuse, spouse abuse, and a bunch of other ugly things.

[WoofnHoof]

There are often very good reasons that the majority of our mass produced meat animals are only a few species because they are the best suited for the purpose, and have been selectively bred for that one purpose for hundreds of years.

However new methods of containment have impacted on the suitability of many traditional livestock breeds - notably chickens and pigs. Not all cope with close confinement in large numbers.. and I prefer not to buy meat from such sources.

Oh yeah factory farming is a whole other can of worms, I'm mainly talking in general terms those few food species we utilise are much more suited to handling, transport and penning practices, in general terms you can quietly load a mob of cattle onto a trailer far more easily and with far less injuries and stress than you can a mob of TBs, and a hundred times easier than you can load a pack of dogs. In this way species is relevant some are more tolerant to this treatment than others, sometimes too tolerant.

[Zhou Xuanyao]

'They' means the dog meat traders, and the dog meat eaters.

Not sure what you mean about the authorities turning a blind eye, China has not introduced the laws yet, perhaps your confused with Korea.

If you mean with regards to turning a blind eye to the torture, I don't know what their laws are in regard to the torture of cats and dogs, they may not have any. I think they should start there (they, the Chinese government), let that potentially be a stepping stone to banning dog meat, because like I say, the consumption of the meat and the cruelty to the animal are two different topics. Ban dog meat, congratulations, but has that taught anyone anything about cruelty to animals ? The problem has to be addressed at the core first and then they can work their way up.

Re dog fighting, I have no clue on China, but in both Japan and Korea it is a widespread practice despite being considered socially unacceptable. In Japan it is legal, in Korea, i'm not sure on the legalities. They conduct it differently to what we are used to from what we see from the USA and Europe, its hard to explain you would have to see it.

he 'eating' tradition, at least, doesn't seem to have a group of people getting their rocks off by watching an animal suffer

They (the traders) might not "get their rocks off" but believe me, its not the nicest scene witnessing what they do to them, they have zero conscience regarding the animal, it seems baffling by the standard of Australian society. This is what I'm saying, the attitude toward animals is what needs attention foremost.

Edited March 10, 2010 by Lo Pan

[WoofnHoof]

I *think* there was a news item about a month ago that said the first animal welfare laws in China are being drafted so that's a step in the right direction.

[Steve]

I think you will find that at least in most states of Australia its not illegal to eat dog. - as long as you dont dock its tail first.

Edited March 10, 2010 by Steve