The city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province has become the second city in China to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat.
Zhuhai’s ban comes after the city of Shenzhen banned dog and cat meat earlier this month, and just days after China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs publicly stated that dogs are companion animals and not ‘livestock’.
Animal charity Humane Society International (HSI) hopes this will be the start of a domino effect to end this business that sees an estimated 10 million dogs and four million cats killed every year, mostly stolen pets and stray animals.
Other cities in China are believed to be considering bans.
HSI has been fighting to end the dog and cat meat trade across Asia for many years and has helped to rescue thousands of dogs and cats from China, South Korea, India and Indonesia.
Peter Li, HSI’s China policy specialist, welcomed the Zhuhai ban, saying: “Most people in China don’t eat dogs and cats. For years, there has been enormous public support there for an end to the cruelty. So now it would seem that in the absence of a national ban, cities are taking matters into their own hands and reflecting the mood of the people.”
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