50 546 dogs slaughtered

2006-07-31 09:05

Beijing - A county in southwest China has ordered that 50 546 dogs be killed in an effort to fight a rabies outbreak that has caused the deaths of three people, state media said on Monday.

Around 90% of the dogs in Muding county, Yunnan province, had already been killed since the campaign began on July 25, the Beijing News said.

Owners were ordered to kill their pets or face having teams of local police and other enforcement officers kill them, it said.

Even the 4 292 dogs in the county that had been immunized against rabies were ordered put to death, as authorities said the immunizations were not 100% effective, the report said.

From January through July, 360 people in the county had been bitten by dogs, with the three human deaths occurring since April, the Beijing Times said.

Some owners have used methods including hanging their dogs, electrocuting them and clubbing them to death, while others used drugs, the Beijing News said.

Dog owwners had been compensated five yuan (60 cents) each for the loss of their pets.

A reporter for the Beijing News who visited the county said one woman was told by dog-elimination squads patrolling the streets that her dog had to be killed. She covered her eyes as the patrollers beat her dog to death.

To prevent dog owners from violating the order, roadside checkpoints had been set up to inspect vehicles for dogs, the Beijing News said. Any dogs found were immediately killed at the scene.

Only police dogs and canines used to guard military artillery warehouses were spared.

China has laws banning harm to endangered animals. But there are no regulations protecting other animals, including pets.

A small but growing number of animal activists and pet owners in China are pushing to build a humane society and legislate animal protection, but those efforts are usually only in big cities.

- SAPA