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Draft law highlights ban on cruelty to animals

By Wang Jingqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-19 07:08

Beijing: The latest draft of China's first law on "anti-cruelty to animals", which was made public on Wednesday to solicit opinion, has banned zoos from maltreating animals by not giving them adequate food and water, an additional stipulation after 13 Siberian tigers died within three months at a zoo in Northeast China.

The draft has also changed a controversial stipulation in its previous version that bans the consumption of dogs and cats, leaving the decision to regional authorities.

Chang Jiwen, a researcher at the Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who has been leading a panel of experts on the draft, said the ban on starving animals was included in the latest version after the recent tiger deaths aroused concern.

An investigation has been launched into the deaths of 13 Siberian tigers in the past three months at a zoo in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province.

Wu Xi, a deputy head of the zoo, earlier said two tigers were shot dead last November when they attacked a zookeeper and the other 11 died of diseases like renal and heart failure triggered by a lack of food.

Chang said experts changed the ban on eating dogs and cats because many people do not agree with a complete nationwide ban, as the situation varies by region.

The latest draft allows provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions to decide which areas in their jurisdiction can adopt the ban.

In areas where the ban is implemented, individuals will be fined up to 5,000 yuan ($730) if they violate the law. Organizations found guilty of selling the meat can be fined between 10,000 and 500,000 yuan, according to the draft.

Chang said the panel would submit the draft next week to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the top legislature.

"If legislators deem it important, the draft might take two or three years to be adopted as a law, or it might take longer, even 10 years, before it can be really implemented," Chang said.

China currently has the Wildlife Protection Law, the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law, the Livestock Husbandry Law, the Pig Slaughter Regulations, the Laboratory Animal Management Regulations and other specific laws and regulations that address animal protection and management.

"However, these laws cannot fully embody the Chinese people's compassion toward eating living creatures, and do not reflect China entering into or singing up to international conventions and declarations that require us to protect the inherent value of animals," Chang said.

Chang said the draft is not a simple copy of Western values and ideas, as "the situation in China is very different from that in the West".

"That's why we changed the name of the law, from animal protection law to law on anti-cruelty to animals. Our bottom-line is no maltreatment toward animals," he said.

The draft stipulates that "humane measures" should be adopted to butcher or kill animals, when necessary, and that no killing should take place in front of minors.