Published on October 31, 2023, at 11:51 a.m. Andrés Carlo from Pixabay Milena Ribeiro
A video of a twoyearold child being chased and attacked by a Rottweiler in Chongzhou, Sichuan province, southwest China has sparked controversy. Given the impact, the country decided to take measures to suppress these and stray dogs.
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The new policy calls for the arrest and even killing of large street dogs and dogs that have an owner but roam freely in public places without a collar or muzzle. The authorities’ reaction divided opinions.
While a section of the population praised the authorities for their quick response to the incident, another section condemned the way the country handled it.
“Just because a big dog bit a child, they are all being hunted by ruthless security guards and police,” one user wrote on Chinese social media site Weibo under the hashtag “Will biting a little girl bring stigma to a big dog? “ “, seen by almost 1 million users.
“This onesizefitsall approach makes me very sad,” she said.
Understand the case
A twoyearold girl was leaving a residential complex on October 16th when she was suddenly chased and attacked by a Rottweiler. The child’s mother tried to prevent the attack from continuing, but was unable to do so.
The dog dragged the children behind him and continued to bite. A cleaner tried to help with a broom but couldn’t. Until a man managed to scare the pet away and the girl was finally able to return to her mother’s arms.
The little girl was taken to a hospital where she is being treated for a ruptured kidney, broken ribs and bite marks on various parts of her body, according to several Chinese state media outlets.
The dog was captured by Chinese authorities and the animal’s owner was arrested.
Government measures
Since the incident, authorities have stepped up law enforcement in a number of provinces, including Shandong, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Hunan and Anhui. These include increased patrols to arrest dogs and fines for owners who do not keep their pets on a leash.
Stray dogs are most commonly targeted, but single pets can also be affected. The most violent crackdown so far has reportedly come from police in Yanzhou, Shandong, who are promising to hunt down “crazy dogs” and euthanize them.
Previous cases
It’s not the first time the country has had problems with animal activists and supporters. This is because authorities do not appear to be flexible in situations involving pets.
According to the 2021 China Pet Industry White Paper, there are 40 million stray dogs in China. In the past, these animals have been blamed for outbreaks of rabies that led to their killing.
Another infamous case was the decision to kill a puppy whose picture had been posted on Weibo with the tag “stray dog Xiao Huang” as an appeal for greater rights for street dogs.
Also in Shanghai, a video of police officers entering a neighborhood and abducting a German Shepherd shocked and outraged the Chinese population.
Recently, at the height of the pandemic, Chinese authorities were accused of being too strict with animals. There are cases, proven by videos, where police officers entered houses and beat the owners’ dogs, which were placed in quarantine.
Chinese actress and singer Cya Liu, who won best actress at the 2022 Hong Kong Film Awards, called for an end to animal killings. “Not all street dogs are bad, just like not all men are good,” she wrote on Weibo with the hashtag “Giving street dogs a voice.”
The Bo Ai Animal Welfare Center in Guangyuan, Sichuan, posted on the Chinese social network Meipian, a Tumblrlike platform, that China should use its development to instill a better sense of social responsibility and respect for animals among the population.
“Beating and arresting dogs all the time. Let the world see what our great homeland is like,” he said.
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