WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a senior member of that committee, are urging the Honorable Zhou Wenzhong, China's Ambassador to the United States, to help address China's misguided policies on pet dogs and rabies control.
In a letter sent to the ambassador this week, the lawmakers urged China to accept the offers of help the country has received from The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International and other major animal protection organizations. The request is in response to the increased implementation of existing rules in China outlawing large dogs within Beijing city limits and the suburbs, as well as a law banning more than one dog per household. Fearful for their pets, Beijing residents have been taking them out of the city or hiding them.
"This policy may increase rather than reduce the spread of rabies when frightened dog owners hide their pets from the authorities or move them out of Beijing entirely," the representatives wrote. "The focus of any new policy should be on rabies vaccination, pet-neutering and pet guardian education, not a historically ineffective limitation on the number of dogs per household. We urge you to immediately address the issue and use your influence to halt this misguided and inhumane campaign."
The HSUS/HSI, which represents nearly 10 million members and constituents worldwide, has actively been working to reverse the one-small-dog policy, especially after events early last August when more than 50,000 dogs were slaughtered in a southwestern province in China following reported rabies cases there among residents. The World Health Organization has concluded that dog killing programs are ineffective against rabies and recommends that affected countries adopt comprehensive vaccination programs.
The number of people with pets is rising rapidly in China, with a reported 1 million dogs in Beijing before the crackdown at the end of 2006. Considering the growth of the pet and related services market there (estimated soon to reach $2 billion in sales), Beijing's policies are counterproductive for people who have pets and for China itself.
"With a robust pet industry in China, the economic benefits of working closely with animal welfare organizations would no doubt be an asset to the United States as well as China," stated Dr. Andrew Rowan, president of HSI and executive vice president of The HSUS. "In addition, China would do itself a service by adopting dog management policies that have worked in many developed nations around the world. We are grateful to Congressmen Lantos and Smith for calling on China to protect rather than persecute dogs and dog owners."
After rebuking the mass killings of dogs in the Yunnan Province in early August, The HSUS/HSI offered $100,000 to the Chinese government to establish an effective rabies control program in some southern provinces, contingent upon "the full co-operation of the relevant national and local authorities in China and Jining City and an understanding that mass and indiscriminate dog killing programs will be terminated immediately." In addition, HSI is currently working in India, Nepal and Indonesia to provide guidance in developing humane animal control programs, which include sterilization and effective rabies vaccination.
Reps. Lantos and Smith have been longtime leaders in advocating for the humane treatment of animals. Last year, Rep. Lantos, chairman of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, introduced and successfully passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act to require disaster planning for pets and service animals. Rep. Smith has consistently led efforts to provide adequate funding for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal animal fighting law. Both lawmakers scored a perfect 100+ on the Humane Scorecard for the 109th Congress.
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As the international arm of The Humane Society of the United States, the largest animal protection organization in the country with nearly 10 million members and constituents, Humane Society International addresses issues such as inhumane practices and conditions affecting companion and farm animals, illegal trade in wildlife, threats to endangered species, slaughter of marine mammals, and the use of animals in research and testing. On the web at www.hsihsus.org . The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country.
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