CommentsANIMAL RIGHTS-The City of Shenzhen is the first city in China to ban the production and consumption of dog and cat meat.
The ban goes into effect on May 1, 2020. Shenzhen is China’s fifth largest city, just across the former border from Hong Kong, with a population of over 12 million people.
The ban is part of a wider effort, resulting from the Coronavirus Pandemic, to control the wildlife trade. It is believed that Coronavirus developed from a wildlife market in the city of Wuhan, China, where dogs, cats, bats, snakes, civets, pangolins, and other live and dead animals were sold for food.
The City of Shenzhen stated the following in connection with the prohibition order: “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. This ban also responds to the demand and spirit of human civilization.”
Starting on May 1, restaurants in Shenzhen serving dog or cat meat will be fined. Shenzhen also banned the consumption, breeding, and sale of wildlife such as snakes, lizards, and other wild animals for human consumption with fines up to 150,000 yuan.
Congratulations to the City of Shenzhen for taking this action. The remainder of China, as well as most areas in Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia, and other countries, still need to ban the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat. In particular, the city of Yulin, China should stop its notorious yearly Dog Meat Festival in which dogs are tortured before they are killed and eaten. Ending this festival would serve as an example for other cities.
CityWatch has been covering developments in the effort to ban the dog meat trade in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, and Cambodia since a Los Angeles City Council Resolution was passed asking those countries to ban it.
The Resolution of the Los Angeles City Council, which unanimously passed on July 3, 2019, states:
“[I]t is estimated that 10 to 20 million dogs in China, 5 million dogs in Vietnam, and one million dogs each in South Korea. Indonesia, and Cambodia are killed for food each year. . .
“[D]ogs in these countries are kept in cramped, rusty cages stacked on top of each other, and slaughtered in brutal ways such as hanging or electrocution, due to an erroneous belief that high adrenaline levels will produce tender meat and increase the supposed health benefits of consuming dog.”
For more information about this and how you can help end these inhumane practices, please see:
“Help Stop the Brutal Torture and Killing of Tens of Millions of Dogs in the Dog Meat Trade,” June 17, 2019.
“LA Passes Anti-Dog Meat Resolution Saving Millions of Dogs from Brutal Torture and Death,” July 8, 2019.
“All Dog Meat Slaughterhouses in Seoul South Korea are Finally Shut Down,” November 4, 2019.
“Indonesian Province of Central Java Bans Dog Meat,” December 9, 2019.
(Jeffrey Mausner (see https://mausnerlaw.com/ ) is the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils Liaison to the Los Angeles Animal Services Department, a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate, 2nd Vice President of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and Chair of its Animal Welfare Committee, and a Volunteer at the West Valley Animal Shelter. He is a retired attorney and law school professor and was formerly a Federal Prosecutor for the U.S. Justice Department.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
