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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Catastrophic Cleanup Plans in China


China is culling thousands of pets in a quest to present a clean and green image for their sporting visitors later in the year.

Thousands of pet cats in Beijing are being abandoned by their owners and sent to die in secretive government pounds as China mounts an aggressive drive to clean up the capital in preparation for the Olympic Games.

Hundreds of cats a day are being rounded and crammed into cages so small they cannot even turn around.

Then they are trucked to what animal welfare groups describe as death camps on the edges of the city.


8 comments:

maryt/theteach said...

Oh Colin, this is terrible! I hope the cat lovers of the blogosphere don't read your post! There will be much crying and gnashing of teeth! :(

Colin Campbell said...

When I lived in Singapore, the government used to shoot stray dogs. Cats seemed to be more accepted there. Interesting public health strategy.

James Higham said...

They're doing a good job of culling humans too in those buses. Planning to attend the Olympics, Colin?

Liz Hinds said...

How appalling!

Colin Campbell said...

Pass on the Olympics James.

I went to Beijing and did all the tourist stuff when you could still walk on Tianmen Square in the 1990s. Very interesting city.

Jayne said...

That is disgusting :(

Colin Campbell said...

First they came for the cats but I didn't speak up because I was not a cat.

Or ironic version

First they came for the communists, but I did not speak up because I was not a communist.

Or current version

First they came for the Tibetans but I did not speak up because I was not a Tibetan.

Ugly. What would it really take for the west to get angry and do something? Probably on the scale of bombing Taipei I would say.

Anonymous said...

This, from a country with a one-child policy? What else would you expect?