Animal Rights in Olympic China
Beijing is the word on everyone's lips as the 2008 Olympics rapidly approach. This excitement however is metered by stories of animal abuse - leaping out into the international papers. The sad reality is that this is nothing new in the Chinese history of animal welfare. The horrendous treatment of animals has shocked and horrified people worldwide for centuries.
Story Highlights
- Cat Collections
- Other Abominations
- So What Can Be Done
- How You Can Help
Cat Collections
In the aggressive clean up before the Olympics, a government warning about the diseases carried by cats has led to a vast number of domestic cats being abandoned and beaten by their owners. Patrols then pack thousands of cats from Beijing's streets into tiny cages, too small for them to stand up in, before taking them to a secretive government pound. No reporter is allowed to enter.
Other Abominations
Cows, chickens and goats are sacrificed and torn apart for entertainment by starving lions. If you take a look backstage at circuses, cages are bursting with miserable, tortured animals - kept in appalling conditions. On the showground, tigers ride horses, bears are forced to fight and other wild animals are paraded, and tormented for entertainment.
On China's Tiger farms, nine thousand tigers are killed for traditional Chinese medicines - such as tiger meat, bones and blood. On Bear Farms it's is reported that up to seven thousand bears are crammed into tiny crates, each with a catheter pushed into their bile duct to drain the bile for yep you guessed it - traditional Chinese medicines.
When it comes to the Ivory trade the single greatest consumer of illegal ivory is - yep right again - China.
So What Can Be Done?
Born Free rescues bears from bile farms in China and Vietnam. It also provides care and attention for dancing bears - saved in India. The charity is also doing everything in its power to make sure that China doesn't become an approved ivory trading partner. On top of this Born Free are carrying out community work in India - to educate people about tiger conservation.
Through high-profile campaigns, Born Free draws public attention to the exploitation of animals across the world and gives them a voice. They have emergency teams on standby to rescue animals from appalling conditions and circumstances, and they are equipped to give rescued animals a lifetime of care.
How You Can Help
Born Free is supported by celebrities like Joanna Lumley, Bryan Adams, Rachel Hunter and Sandi Toksvig. If however you don't have a celebrity status or a superfluous cash flow, there are still plenty of ways you can help.
In the UK you can volunteer to help with administration work at the head office in Horsham, Sussex. For details shoot an e-mail to margaret@bornfree.org.uk
Further afield you can join Activate - a team of letter writers who act on animal issues by writing to the relevant decision makers. You will receive information about the latest challenge and will be asked to write personal letters. For your free starter pack send an e-mail to tricia@bornfree.org.uk
If you see a captive animal suffering, please contact Born Free Zoo, with an e-mail to zoocheck@bornfree.org.uk. They also need volunteers to file and catalogue issues affecting animals in captivity. Alternately you can request a Zoo Checker Action Pack.
So do what you can today, even if it's just telling friends and family about what you've read in this article. China is expanding and the only way to stop the animal cruelty expanding with it - is to work together.
- Jen Page
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