Officials say the move reflects the bond between pets and people – ‘the consensus of all human civilization’ – rather than coronavirus fears
Photograph: EPA
Michael Standaert reports for The Guardian
Shenzhen is set to become the first city in mainland China to ban the eating of dogs and cats, if a draft regulation released by the municipal government in a wider push to restrict the consumption of wild animals is approved.
On Monday, China’s National People’s Congress issued an order to ban all consumption of wild animal meat and further restrict the wildlife trade nationwide. The measures are expected to be enshrined in the country’s wildlife protection law later this year.
The ban is a swift response to the Covid-19 outbreak, thought to have originated in wildlife sold at a market in Wuhan, Hubei province in early December.
However, the Shenzhen government’s potential ban on dog and cat meat is framed not as part of an effort to reduce disease transmission, but as an aspect of the special relationship between people and pets, which it has called the “consensus of all human civilization”.
“Shenzhen might just be able to do it, as it is a progressive city in many ways,” said Deborah Cao, a professor at Griffith University in Australia and an expert on animal protection in China. “I really hope so.”
Consumption of dog and cat meat is most common in Shenzhen’s home province of Guangdong, neighboring Guangxi, and parts of north-east China, though it is not universally practiced across the country and has become less acceptable over time. Taiwan outlawed the consumption of dog and cat meat in 2017.
“Dog eating has become increasingly controversial in China, with frequent violent clashes between dog thieves and angry dog owners,” said Wendy Higgins, director of international media at Humane Society International (HSI).
“There is a growing and vocal Chinese opposition to the dog and cat meat trade, and young people in China are far more likely to think of dogs as companions than cuisine,” she said.
The draft regulation is now in a public comment phase running until 5 March and no timeline has been given for the final determination.
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