Dog Slaughter in Hanzhong, China

A death squad pursues a terrified dog in Hanzhong, China

Dogs beaten to death in Hanzhong, China’s street

Right now as I write this post, China’s government for fear of a few random cases of rabies death, has ordered a massive killing of more than 30,000 dogs.  Dog Death Squads and civilizians alike take to the streets with bats, iron bars, sticks and rocks, chasing poor dogs, mercilessly beating them to death. Many of these dogs were claimed to also be health family pets. One by one, the dogs are “pulled out with a pair of long metal tongs, and brutally beaten with a stick – then even some may still seem to be alive, they’re tossed into a pit to be burned” – via International Fund For Animals.

China’s massive animal killing spree is nothing new. During the Olympics, they rounded up over half a million cats off the streets and brought them to be gassed, boiled, killed in mass. Each instance an epidemic of disease occur, the Chinese blame the animals first and out of fear, instead of learning about what can be done, resort to immediate killing of these poor animals.

Friends, right now, dead dogs lie and fill the streets of this village, and many more at one point or another in China’s history. Please spread the word. Don’t just read this post — Donate to this critical cause or WRITE TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT and express your outrage. Thank you.

Filed under: Take Action, animal cruelty, dogs and cats, humane organizations, international issues , china, dog killing, dogs, epidemic, hanzhong, hunting, Take Action

Fur Farms

This is an insightful post from a fellow blogger about the Chinese fur farm industry. Please read about it at Animalblawg.wordpress.com

Filed under: animal cruelty , chinese fur farms, fur, racoon dogs

Animal Testing Debate

I’ve always wanted to write about this subject, but it’s hard to sum it all up in one post. So I guess I have to start somewhere and start this debate on this blog.

Animal testing began as early as the dawn of modern civilization, when some might argue was necessary. That I do understand – how else would we have known the level of toxicity of ingredients in household and cosmetic goods? We had to start somewhere, and we couldn’t experiment on humans. How else could we explore the intricacies of the mammal body and come up with cures and treatments? It is completely understandable to me that at one point, animal testing was necessary.

But is it necessary today? We have gotten so advanced in the scientific research on so many things. We know what shouldn’t go into cosmetics, and we know that bleach is toxic. We know that cleaning products contain poisonous ingredients, and we know that there are pesticides in our foods. We know that asbestos can be fatal, and we know that certain things shouldn’t go into our eyes. So why do we continue to subject animals like dogs, cats, primates, rats, rabbits to horrific testing when we know it will hurt and kill them? Why do they have to continue to suffer when so we already know so much?

Then there is medical research. I’ve seen some pretty horrific images of primates being dissected alive while researchers poke at their organs, cats’s skulls exposed while being tested for sleep deprivation, beagles’ skin burned, animals forced to ingest poison, mice given cancerous tumors, and so on. I’m so saddened by this but there is the bigger question of whether this is necessary.

I’m conflicted. I believe that humans are superior beings and we do come first in this world, despite my compassion and love for animals and that I do not in any way wish them harm and suffering. As we advance in medical research every day, there seem to be a need to experiment on animals so that we can live longer, healthier. Without the animals, we would have to test on human subjects even more than now. This conflict lies in the very nature of human significance over the lesser mammal, and I know that this may never end. Thanks to animals, we live, and our animal companions live as well. I know that if my veternarian didn’t attend Cornell Feline Veterinarian School, where I presumed he dissected all sorts of animals, he wouldn’t be as good a doctor to my cat today. Some things are just necessary.

Of course, if there was another way, I will be all for it. I love animals and wish that one day there will be NO animal testing AT ALL. That doesn’t excuse the horrible ways in which animals are experimented. I KNOW that there are more humane ways to treat them and test on them. What are your thoughts?

P.S. buy non-animal tested consumer products please!

Filed under: animal cruelty, animal testing, corporations that fund cruel practices, dogs and cats