CHINA is slaughtering the pets of Covid patients under its draconian ‘zero tolerance’ strategy for the virus.
Officials claim it is to stop the spread of infection – but the “inhumane” rule has sparked fury among animal lovers in the country as it battles a wave of new outbreaks.
There is little evidence to suggest pets can catch the virus – but scores of cats and dogs have reportedly been executed while their owners received treatment.
Others have been killed while their owners quarantined to stop themselves infecting others.
A resident in Chengdu claimed on social media platform Xiaohongshu that her cats were killed after she was moved from her home into quarantine.
And in September, a woman from Harbin in the north east posted on China’s version of Twitter Weibo that her three cats had been euthanised by community workers after she, and later they, tested positive.
The alleged killers hit back and told local media there is no treatment available for animals and death was the only option as the kittens would continue to leave viral traces.
One worker told Beijing News: “There is probably no professional medical treatment for animals infected with the novel coronavirus.”
However, experts have slammed the idea as there is no evidence to suggest pets play a major role in transmission.
Rachael Tarlinton, a virology professor at the University of Nottingham, said: “It doesn’t seem very realistic that the cats would contaminate the environment so badly that they would be a risk for their owner to re-contract COVID.”
She also said that surfaces in general are not a key route of viral spread.
Animal lovers agreed, with many sharing their outrage at the “overkill” policy.
One person said on Weibo: “I firmly disagree with this approach!
“To put it bluntly, it’s a crude, simplistic and lazy form of management, just in order to dodge responsibility.”
And Beijing resident Lisa Li is fearful of catching coronavirus now more than ever under the strict prevention measures.
The pet owner told South China Morning Post: “If I happen to catch Covid-19, what if my cat starves to death or gets killed while I’m in quarantine?
“There’s no medical evidence or legal support for killing these companion animals, it’s extremely inhumane.
“Currently there’s no law protecting companion animals in China, so there’s not much room to fight for our pets, and their deaths can only act as a cautionary tale for owners to be more careful from now on.”
Many are now taking matters into their own hands with posts circulating on social media telling pet owners to call out authorities, videotape killings and insist on being allowed to quarantine with their beloved pets.
One social media message reads: “Please don’t stop advocating, because if you don’t speak out, maybe it’s your furry babies that will die next.”
‘EXTREMELY INHUMANE’
China’s zero tolerance approach to Covid means local governments use mass testing, contract tracing and partial lockdowns to battle any regional outbreaks.
Most have been quickly contained, but the approach is in stark contrast to the rest of the world which is largely relying on high vaccination levels.
One area of the country, Shenyang, has imposed a 56-day isolation requirement for international travellers, The New York Times reports.
The rule, being dubbed the world’s most brutal Covid quarantine, means overseas visitors must stay in a hotel for at least 28 days before locking themselves in at home for a further 28.
It was introduced in late October when cases jumped more than 50 per cent in a week and health officials warned outbreaks were “developing rapidly”.
On Friday, China reported 110 fresh cases and zero deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the World Health Organization.
There is some debate surrounding the legality of governments killing pets and citing Covid measures.
Chinese law states that wild animals or livestock infected during a pandemic can be killed legally – but cats and dogs are not listed as either.
And when Chinese media asked the Chengdu government for clarification, a spokesperson told them to “go read current policies”.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises keeping any person or animal infected with the virus isolated from others.
However, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest pets can spread Covid.
