China to Ban Eating Cats and Dogs
Eating dogs and cats–which is an age-old delicacy in China–could soon be against the law.
It’s the nation’s first law against such animal abuse. Currently, dog and cat meat is viewed as promoting bodily warmth. But if the law passes, people who eat either animal could face fines of up to $730 or 15 days in jail. Organizations involved the practice would face fines up to 100-times as much.
“I support this proposal. Whether you judge this as a question of food security or emotions, there is absolutely no necessity in China for people to eat dogs and cats,” said Zeng Li, the founder of the Lucky Cats shelter in Beijing. “Beijing’s dog restaurants get their meat mainly from vagrant and stolen dogs. In the suburbs, dogs are hung and slaughtered in front of buyers.”
The law has been in the draft stage for over a year and will be submitted to higher authorities come April. But draft legislation can take years to approve. Drafters at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences have been consulting for more than a year with Britain’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the US-based International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Raising cats and dogs for meat remains widespread in China. You’ll often see it advertised as “fragrant meat,” a euphemism for dog. Cat meat is more popular in southern China where activists block trucks carrying thousands of cats to meat markets.
Ending the culinary tradition is going to be difficult even it is passed in to law, as it dates back thousands of years. Dog meat was once considered a medicinal tonic.
“We are proposing that all dog and cat eating should be banned because it is causing many social problems,” said Chang Jiwen, a law professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who heads the drafting team.
The economic impact of this law would be small as China’s affluent don’t partake in the delicacy. In fact, such traditions have received much scrutiny from affluent, pet-loving, urban middle class. And online petitions against dog and cat consumption have attracted tens of thousands of signatures.
As a vegetarian, this begs the question of why stop at just cats and dogs? What’s the real difference between eating a cow or eating your dog? I’m just saying.
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Source: Physorg
It’s not much, but it is a start. Maybe this will finally start ensuring humane treatment to man and animal alike in the world.
The difference between dogs and cows is that dogs are on a parallel place on the food chain as us (as we both have canines and have the body chemistry to eat meat). The food chain has the meat eaters eating the plant eaters. That is the difference. Don’t fight nature.
What? You murder vegetables? For shame!
http://www.etaglive.com/eTags/PETV_is_People_for_Ethical_Treatment_of_Vegetables_LoC10179.htm
Some people even eat baby lambs or goats, piglets and calves that are still suckling from their mothers…. perhaps there will be fines for these atrocities one day.
[...] aiming to end the practice of serving cat and dog meat http://planetsave.com/blog/2010/01/2…cats-and-dogs/ Age old delicacies, selling cat and dog meat will soon be illegal. __________________ [...]
While I respect your opinion and right to eat what you see fit, I have a problem with someone telling me or others what they can and cannot eat on a broad scale.
I respect animals on the level that I do not condone undue cruelty, and thus have avoided certain establishments due to exposed practices of their suppliers, however, I’m an omnivore both by nature and choice.
This is mostly in response to the closing comments that you threw in as a final shot. To respond to the question I imagine you didn’t really want answered, there is no difference aside from emotional attachment.
This begs another question however. If those animals aren’t to be used for the food they were raised to be, who’s going to care for them?
Here kitty kitty.
If you can eat a cow, I see no reason why you can’t eat a dog or a cat. They are all just 4 legged animals that our body can convert to energy. It should be all or nothing…either eating ANY animal is a sin OR eating EVERY animal should be OK.
I THINK IT’S A GOOD BEGINNING AND THE LAW SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO COCKROACHES, SPIDERS, MILLIPEDES AND SO ON.
THIS WILL MAKE THE WORLD (CHINA)A LESS IRRITATING PLACE.
Atrocities? You animal folks in the westernized world are ridiculous.