Spare a thought for man's best friend

In March, some animal activists and volunteers launched an operation in Chongqing to rescue dogs, and sent the rescued animals to centers in Chongqing and Kunming, Yunnan province. Providing permanent shelter to rescued animals, however, remains a problem.

On a visit to an animal shelter, run by some animal lovers, in the suburb of Shenyang, Liaoning province, I was surprised to see hundreds of stray and abandoned pet cats and dogs sharing space with some wild animals like monkeys, foxes and one raccoon that had been abandoned by zoos after being injured. After talking with the staff there, I realized the place was like a big money-consuming machine. Just to provide enough food to the animals, the animal lovers' group needs the support of the local authorities, individual donors and pet lovers. I also realized that if the animals were not properly cared for, the vicious circle of rescue, release, recapture, reselling would continue.

In this regard, some of the suggestions made by the World Society for the Protection of Animals and the World Health Organization in the early 1990s are still relevant. For example, apart from promulgating practical laws and regulations, the authorities should have an accurate count of stray small animals to determine the scale of official animal protection. They should also know that stray dogs and cats have not only to be neutered, but also provided enough food on a regular basis after being released to prevent health hazards and human-animal conflicts.

Besides, pets should be registered and labeled to ensure their owners don't abandon them. The Hong Kong Legislative Council went a step further in 1999 by expanding the scope of a 1950s regulation, which bans the sale of cat and dog meat, to include specific pet keeping rules.

Finally, the authorities also have to launch an intense animal protection campaign and encourage people to work with officials and civil animal protection centers to create a safer environment for small animals.

The author is a writer with China Daily. E-mail: xiaolixin@chinadaily.com.cn.