Stray animals in China: The dilemma of animal shelters
“Woof-woof-woof-woof…” When I opened the derelict iron door, the deafening dog barking overwhelmed me like a tsunami. Although I was mentally prepared before, I was still stunned by the sight in front of me: it is a huge dilapidated space that divide to more than fifty independent activity areas, and in each fence, there are at least twenty dogs inside. Some of them howl loudly, some of them head slightly raised and tail held erect and rigid, some of them, just sit on the floor and ignore me. “It is an old cowshed in a very bad condition before it turns into use as the animal shelter.” Mrs. Tao, one of the senior volunteers who work at the Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association for many years speak loudly. “It is still not perfect now, but at least those dogs have a place to eat and sleep.”
Around one month ago, I noticed an article from the Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association, the biggest non-profit animal welfare organisations in Suzhou, Jiangsu Provence, China. “We are currently on financial deficit now. Each month the organisation needs to afford over 1,200 stray dogs and cats’ spending, as well as the expenditure on rent, medical charge, water and electricity, and the salary of several staff. In order to keep providing a place against the sun and rain for those animals, we need help from the public.” In the article, they also mentioned that the rent for the rescue shelter cause over 220,000 RMB (nearly £24,000) per year, which is one of the main sources of their financial stress. However, this isn’t the first time the organization has faced this kind of financial crisis. The Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association was established in 2009, in the past 11 years, the rescue shelter experienced several relocations and the number of cats and dogs started from around 100 at the beginning soar to over 1200 in 2021. As the organizations grow larger, it brings more financial and operational problems at the same time.
Pet ownership in China
Pet ownership is a growing trend in China, and this has given birth to huge pet industry. The country’s GDP per capita has passed $10,000 in 2020, as Chinese citizens become wealthier, the demand for pet ownership has seen the unprecedented growth. According to the Chinese Pet Industry White Paper, the number of dogs and cats reached 99.15 million in 2019 and urban pet owners are on track to spend 202 billion yuan ($28.6 billion) in the same year. The country’s GDP per capita has passed $10,000 in 2020, as Chinese citizens become wealthier, the demand for pet ownership has seen the unprecedented growth.
In addition to a love of animals, a want of companionship is also a major reason behind the rise of pet ownership. The aging population in China, the declining birth rate, and the increasing trend of singlehood have triggered a great demand for pets, which can relieve a sense of loneliness and bring happiness to life. Ms. Wang, a cat owner who is now working in Suzhou said: “I live on my own since I graduated from the university, I am a very introverted person, and I don’t have a lot of friends. When I finished the job and back home, I can always hear my kitten is meowing to me and want to play with me. It is such a joy that someone is waiting for you.”
In the meantime, as more people keep pets, a number of stray dogs, cats, and other animals can be seen roaming in different wards of the country. Based on the data from the World Health Organisation, China has 40 million stray dogs which account for 20% of the global total. It was also estimated that in 2020 there were over 200,000 stray cats in Beijing alone, and even more stray dogs. The main reasons for abandoning dogs and cats are animal’s problematic behaviour, loss of the interest in the animal, moving home and economic factors. And for surely, there are no proper animal welfare system in the country.
The Problems in the Animal’s Shelter
Shelters built by volunteers and animal rescue organizations have experienced an influx of animals and the number of animals needing homes is likely to climb. Despite growing awareness in the country, treatment of stary animals still remains a concern among pet lovers and animal welfare activists. Most of the animal shelter organizations have common goals of trying to reconnect owners with lost pets, finding an adoption, and providing shelter and care for a vulnerable population. The Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association as one of the first shelters established by volunteers in Suzhou, always want to improve the situation.
On the day I visited the Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association, it took me 40 minutes to finally arrived there. The environment around the rescue shelter was relatively poor, and the road to its entrance was muddy and narrow. As I walked towards the Maya blue iron gate, a continuous dog barking came from behind the door. I arrived there during lunchtime, Mrs. Tao, the volunteer, was preparing lunch for the dogs and cats.
Mrs. Tao told me that the majority of stray dogs living here are mix-breed dogs. As one of the senior members at the Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association, Mrs. Tao has been volunteering for nearly 10 years and takes time every week to look after those stray animals. Due to the rescue shelter is far away from the city centre, Tao takes more than an hour to drive back and forth each time.
“The shelter currently has 4 staff members responsible for the hygiene management and treatment of all the dogs and cats. Our publicity and rescue team are all volunteers, those who are ordinary office workers or students. Volunteers like us will take time to help irregularly.” Mrs. Tao said. “Because the rescue shelter is located in the relatively remote countryside, it faces challenges find sufficient volunteers to care for the animals. We currently have over 100 volunteers on the list, but it is still not enough most of the time.”
Despite the best intentions and selfless efforts of numerous volunteers working for animal shelters, there are still many animal welfare issues associated with the population management and control of infectious diseases. Some of the dogs have already lived at the shelter for many years, a lack of manpower means that the animals cannot spend as much time out of their cages as they should. A serious overcrowding issue and poor living conditions can be seen very directly. With so many dogs locked together, fights and illnesses are inevitable, and some out-of-group or sick dogs will be isolated separately.
With more and more stray dogs sent to the rescue shelter from all over Suzhou, the rescue capacity limit has been reached the highest point. Mrs. Tao sighed profoundly and told me that the organization receives assistance call from the public almost every day. “There is an abandoned stray dog on the street, can you come to help it?” “I have a dog and I do not want to keep it anymore; can you take it?” The organization currently has more than 1,2oo dogs and cats since it started out with more than 100 dogs. The biggest challenges are faced by the rescue shelter are overwhelmed. As the number of rescues is increasing, the food cost has reached about 2,500 CNY (approximately £280) per day. Mrs.Tao mentioned many people will simply interpret animal rescue as “ posting an update on social media, sending a message to others, call someone to pick up “. In reality, the rescue is a long and difficult journey, for those critics who insisted to judge the organisation, how many of them actually come to shelter, and how many are willing to help animals with actual deeds.
Any aid organisation or individual has limited capabilities, especially in the absence of animal protection laws and regulations. At the current stage, the animal welfare and rights system remains incomplete in China, the concept of civilised and legal pet ownership has also not been popularised on a big scale. If the action of helping stray animals are only maintained by some of the civil society organisations and a handful of volunteers who engage in long-term aid, it may end up overburdened and unsustainable in a very short period of time.
In the stainless cage, there was a 13-year-old dog, named Lovebug. As a senior dog, it has a bluish-gray and is going blind. Due to its special circumstance, Lovebug needs to be separated from the others when feeding and given special medical arrangements.
“Those stray dogs and cats in the rescue shelter were actually quite pitiful when they were sent here.” Mrs. Tao said. “Some of them were abandoned by their owners because of illness, some were injured in a car accident on the road and were taken to the pet hospital by benevolent people before being sent here, each of them has a different experience.”
Pet Adoption
How to sort thousands of stray dogs and cats out while appealing for donations from the public? The Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association held a number of ‘Adopt instead of buying’ campaigns to help many stray dogs and cats to find a new home.
“We want to promote at every opportunity, whether through our social media account or stray animal adoption event held in shopping mall or community,” said Qing, one of the volunteers from the media department. “If there was a venue, we were there.”
There are many people interested in pet adaptation ,but the adoption rate is less than 2%. “People weren’t interested in adopting mix-breed dogs. They want famous dog breeds such as Poodle, French Bulldog, and Golden Retriever. Some of them even asking for young and gentle puppies.” Qing told me with a wry smile.
At the Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association, it has strict requirements to adopt a pet from the rescue shelter. The pet adoption needs to submit an application with an in-depth survey. The conditions for adoption include have a self-purchased house or independent rental housing in Suzhou, have a stable job with a certain economic capacity, feed them on a nutritious, balanced diet, take vaccines and do sterilisation at a certain age, and do not abandon them at will for reasons such as moving home, the birth of a child, or have any behavioural problems, etc.
At the same time, the association tried to find a warm home for stray dogs through the way of international adoptions. The International Rescue program currently helps more than 20 dogs ‘migrate’ to other countries; it has been a long road, but this program was built to save more stray animals in general regardless of location. Currently, the largest number of dogs travel to Canada, the United States, and France. After a series of rigorous health and behaviour checks, the stray dogs were implanted with a microchip as a “passport” for identification, followed by series of go aboard procedures, then take a direct flight with the help of a flight volunteer.
A few weeks ago, with the help of volunteers, the Suzhou Small Animal Protection Volunteers Association in cooperation with one of the Canadian animal protection organisations, for two large breed dogs to find an adoptive family in Canada. Through a series of tedious procedures, the two dogs finally successfully set on the plane to Canada.
The costs associated with international adoption and bringing a dog or cat out of a country are often cost outrageous and logistically challenging. The staff estimated that the cost for transporting a 20kgs dog go abroad would cost about 2,500 RMB (350 RMB for the flight case, 100 RMB for the international chip, 350 RMB for the hospital examination, and 1,700 RMB for the air ticket).
Qing told me that the rescue shelter once had a famous Alaskan Malamute, it was abandoned by its owner because of Canine distemper and more than three years have not been adopted. Fortunately, with the help of volunteers, a new home in the United States has been found for it. Nowadays, the Alaskan Malamute starts a new chapter of life in the United States, where the adopter has taken great care of it and give it a western-style name — Ken. Its total cost of going abroad is 3,500 RMB (around £390) and is all sponsored by the public. Is it a bit of experience for a dog to ‘migrate’? “It can seem costly, but you will give a dog a completely new life and give us the chance to save another one,” Qing said. “We know it is difficult, that will not stop us from saving a life.”
Although there are many related animal protection organisations in China, there are no complete laws and regulations on the rescue of stray animals, and the rescue regulations implemented in different regions are also dissimilar. The rescue of stray animals is mainly undertaken by the non-governmental organisation, which means that it can basically solve the survival problem, but it still cannot be solved from a deeper level. Animal welfare is gradually becoming a critical issue in the world. At present, there are more than 100 countries and regions in the world have enacted the Animal Protection Law or the Prohibition of Cruelty to Animals Law.
The main piece of animal protection legislation in the UK is the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which came into force in 2007, and applies to England and Wales. Owners can be taken to court if they don’t look after their pets properly and face a prison sentence of up to six months, and a fine of up to £20,000. They may also have their pet taken away from them or be banned from having pets in the future. In United State, there are at least 75 animal welfare organisations that provide support and adoption services for stray and abused animals. The government-funded community service organisations will manage and help stray animals, which not only enables the animals to be properly placed but also improves the urban environment. In Germany, the fine under the Law for the Protection of Animals is up to €25,000. Germans treat their pets like family members hence it is unacceptable for them to see dogs display like commodities in pet shops and their pet shops do not sell pets.
China’s lack of a law against mistreating animals and animal abandonment makes these problems harder to address. Nowadays, China’s Animal Protection law is still in the drafting stage. There are many animals lovers and animal rights defenders who are actively promoting it, but the reasons for the delay in making great progress are mainly in the areas of punishment, supervision, and the establishment of management institutions. Meanwhile, the interests of all parties and departments need to be balanced and coordinated.
Improving animal welfare and reduce the number of stray animals is a long process. It usually begins with education, understanding, and finally law marking. The first two actions are vital, but real enforcement still requires legal mechanisms. Passing animal welfare legislation should be the responsibility of every major country.
