Shelters and health facilities are to be built in Beijing for
the hundreds of thousands of stray animals wandering the streets of
the capital, according to the city's bureau of agriculture.
A spokesman with the bureau, who declined to reveal his name,
said they'd completed drafting a regulation on the construction of
an urban shelter system which awaits approval from the municipal
government.
All districts and counties would have access to animal shelters
and charity hospitals which will be funded by the government.
They'll also subsidize animal clinics that vaccinate, sterilize and
treat homeless cats paying half the costs. The bureau said they'd
entrusted several animal welfare institutes to help the homeless
animals.
The news comes alongside heated social debate in a local
newspaper about the countless number of stray cats and their impact
on society. The city's cat population is growing rapidly due to a
lack of regulations which would lay out requirements for people who
wish to keep them as pets, reported Beijing Youth
Daily.
And people who have dogs should abide by related regulations
which, for example, require them to register animals at police
stations.
Several parks in the city have turned into gathering spots for
homeless cats and are suffering from being littered with cat feces,
reported the newspaper.
Beijing Little Animal Protection Association, the only
government-approved animal protection institute in the city,
estimated that the city has more than 400,000 stray cats scattered
across 2,400 communities.
According to Chai Yue, a 24-year-old worker with the
Association, the cats are dumped for many reasons including people
moving home, the owner's boredom or animal sickness. Chai said the
best way to protect animals was to establish animal protection laws
as many European countries and Japan have already done.
"The reason that people dare to desert their pets is because
they won't be charged if they do," Chai said. "If the law says
people will be fined heavily for such behavior they'll definitely
think twice before throwing out their cats."
Chai's association, three protection groups and a dozen online
committees, are currently trying to protect these animals. But
there's a shortage of funds and it was difficult to find homes for
the cats, said Chai.
According to animal experts stray animals not only pollute the
environment but can also spread infectious diseases.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2006)
