Draft law to make dog cull illegal

Animal abuse or harm such as the controversial dog culling in Hanzhong, Shaanxi province would be illegal under a new draft law.

If passed through the country's legislative organs, it would be the first time that the concept of "animal welfare" is added to law.

Experts have completed drafting the country's first animal protection law and are now in the process of revising it before its submission to government and congress authorities, said Chang Jiwen, a law professor with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who led the drafting team.