His Excellency, Hu Jintao, President of the People's Republic of China 9 Xihuang-Chenggen Beijie Beijing 100032, China email: [email protected], [email protected] His Excellency Mr. Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council Guowuyuan 9 Xihuangchenggenbeijie Beijingshi 100032, People's Republic of China fax: 86-10-6-512-5810 China Internet Information Center [the authorized government portal site to China] 6th Floor, Building B, 89 Xi Sanhuan Bei Lu; Beijing 100089, China ph: 86-10-8882 8258; fax: 86-10-8882 8331 email: [email protected], [email protected] National People's Congress (NPC) of People's Republic of China No. 23, Xijiaominxiang, Xicheng District; Beijing 100805, People's Republic of China email: [email protected] Ministry of Agriculture of People's Republic of of China, Minister Du Qinglin No.11 Nongzhanguan Nanli, Chaoyang District; Beijing, China (100026) ph: (86-10) 6419-3366; fax: (86-10) 6419-2468; email: [email protected] Ministry of Culture of People's Republic of China Minister Sun Jiazheng No.10 Chaoyanf Men Beidajie, Dongchen District; Beijing, China (100020) ph: (86-10) 6555-1432; fax: (86-10) 6555-1433; email: [email protected] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China, Minister Li Zhaoxing No. 2, Chaoyangmen Nandajie; Beijing, China (100701) ph: (86-10) 6596-1114; email: [email protected] Ministry of Health of People's Republic of China, Minister Wu Yi No.1 Xizhimenwai Nanlu, Xicheng District; Beijing, China (100044) ph: (86-10) 6879-4049; fax: (86-10) 6831-3669; email: [email protected] • Dept of Agriculture of Shaanxi Province, Animal Husbandry/Veterinary Bureau: [email protected] • Health Department of Shaanxi Province: [email protected] • Shaanxi Provincial Health Authority: [email protected] • People's Government of Hangzhong City: [email protected], [email protected] • Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province: [email protected], [email protected] • People’s Government of Heilongjiang Province: [email protected] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Embassy of the People's Republic of China 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW; Washington DC 20008 ph: 1+ 202-328-2500; fax: 1+ 202-232-7855; email: [email protected] Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations 350 East 35th Street; New York, NY 10016 ph: 212-655-6100; fax: 212-634-762 email: [email protected], [email protected] Honorable Officials Of The People’s Republic Of China, I am pleased legal experts are drafting China’s first animal welfare law. If enacted, this law might have stopped the recent massacre in Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province that wiped out some 36,000 dogs. Please prioritize this legislation and include a provision to outlaw dog and cat culls. Citizens worldwide denounce mass death sweeps as a form of disease containment. Killing squads comb streets with poles and sticks to violently beat any dog they encounter. The public is outraged by accounts of animals poisoned, clubbed, buried alive, and electrocuted. A strong anti-cruelty law ought to jail and fine those who neglect, abuse, or kill animals. Dog and cat culls, along with the brutalization of "pets" to make food or medicine, certainly qualify as abuse and killing. The law should also focus on population control and responsible guardianship. The best system to curb stray populations combines sterilization with required identification (tags and computer chip implants). And, as other civilized nations have learned, the only proven way to prohibit rabies in dogs is mandatory vaccination. I urge federal and municipal agencies to devise a long-term rabies prevention and inoculation program. Random slaughter doesn’t fix animal overpopulation or disease. In fact, the sudden removal of tens of thousands of dogs can actually trigger relocation of dogs from nearby areas. When new dogs move in, they may bring new diseases with them. The cycle of transmission simply renews itself. Evidence indicates the Chinese people strongly oppose mass kills. When the city of Heihe, Heilongjiang province, banned dogs and authorized a cull, public backlash prompted officials to rescind the order. The bloodshed not only hurts animals, but also violates the rights of your citizens to care for their own dogs and cats. Please back animal welfare legislation that criminalizes abuse and fosters a culture of responsible guardianship, nonviolent disease prevention, and humane management. Thank you, .