Dog Slaughter Begins in 2008 Olympic City

Friday, July 13, 2001 - CHINA

BEIJING — As you read this, or perhaps even already, a delegation of 120 officials is voting on the International Olympic Committee's choice for host city of the 2008 Summer Games among the three finalists: Toronto, Paris and Beijing.  All three cities have doubtlessly taken great pains to promote an accommodating, clean impression, but only one has resorted to mass-murder.

For months, Beijing (the favorite of the three) has been under moderate fire from animal-rights activists and dog-lovers alike for its allegedly unethical treatment of dogs raised as food.  But early this week the story broke that Beijing has begun an unprecedented, citywide slaughter of stray and unlicensed dogs in order to further its internationally-friendly image to the IOC.

From Beijing yesterday, a reporter for the UK's Scotsman Online tells us:

"City officials are rounding up and exterminating dogs and closing down local vegetable markets to ensure that no unsavoury image of the Chinese capital is transmitted in the run-up to tomorrow’s decision.

"Since the final push for the Games was launched, police have stepped up patrols that seize dogs from owners. Often the animals have to be wrested from their owners’ arms before being taken to pounds where they are put down.

"Sometimes the dogs are thrown into a sack by the inspection squad and bludgeoned to death before the horrified owners’ eyes."

Ironically enough, the Chinese Government feels that this action is wiser than cultivating a reputation of being dog-friendly; Paris pampers its pooches to the extreme that the streets have become overrun with dog feces, a point that state-run Chinese newspapers have touted loudly this month.  The Chinese Liberation Daily newspaper recently ran an article under the headline: "Mad dogs run wild in the street. Paris must handle its dogs before hosting the games."

What has been done to help the dogs?

It's encouraging to see how many dog-supporters come out of the woodwork, but at the same time it remains to be seen how effective people can be.  Politicians, animal-rights groups, major corporations, and average Joes & Janes like you and me from all nations (especially China) make up this unlikely legion from every corner of the world.

International animal welfare groups were quick to seize upon the Olympic opportunity last year to try to force policymakers to wake up to the issues.  Long before this week's dog extermination began in Beijing, organizations had been circulating petitions and appealing to officials over China's questionable dog-meat industry.

Unfortunately the Swiss government (the intended recipient of the petition) believes that diplomatic interference is not appropriate in what it deems is a "cultural matter".  A USA-sponsored petition (Phoenix Animal Charitable Trust) is still in circulation and has collected 15,351 electronic signatures as of this morning; it will be sent directly to the United Nations in Rome (view/sign the petition here).

So now we turn to Washington, DC, where a heated debate took place in Congress on Tuesday over whether to pass anti-China legislation aimed at discouraging the IOC's selection of Beijing.  Reuters News reports:

At dueling Capitol Hill news conferences, the two sides made impassioned pleas that contrasted the right of an athlete to compete and the Olympic goal of promoting world peace, with concerns about China's record on human rights.

The bottom line from Capitol Hill?  Still inconclusive.

What can be done at this point?

Follow-up articles:
2008 Summer Olympics?
Not for All the Tea in China
(July 16, 2001)

2008 Summer Olympics?
The Good News for Dogs
(July 22, 2001)

Olympic Opinions
Letters to The Scoop
(July 22, 2001)