China has come far in terms of liberalisation, a fact manifest by a Nanjing University professor’s success at tabling an animal rights motion at this year’s “Two Sessions” in Beijing. Yet, he has an 84 year-old astronomer to thank for the achievement.
Cui Xiangqun is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and an academic with Chinese Academy of Sciences. This year, Cui has brought a proposal unrelated to his own professional field, namely Animal Protection Law, and entrusted it to Su Dingqiang for presentation at the Two Sessions. Su was a representative of the 8th and 9th National People’s Congress (1993-2003), is a fellow academic with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Nanjing University.
The Professor is also a well-renown astronomer in China who now happens to be 84 years old. For a long time, Su has called for increased animal rights, having campaigned several times during his tenure with the National People’s Congress for animal protection legislation.
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For Su, modern science has increasingly proved that other animals and humans are not only anatomically similar, but also physiologically and emotionally. He believes the way in which human beings treat animals reflect humanity’s moral principles and the degree of civilisation of a country.
“More than 150 countries and regions in the world have introduced laws and regulations on the protection of ordinary animals, but China has not yet had a universal animal protection law, which is not commensurate with China’s international status”, said Su to The Paper.
On 8 April, China’s Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs released its updated list of animals that are permitted to be raised as livestock. For the very first time, dogs have been omitted. The Ministry referred to dogs as a “special companion animal”.
This gave hope to Su. “Can animal protection legislation go one step further? [Can we] expand the scope of protection from wild animals to ordinary animals?”, he asked. “How many children have been raised by milk and dairy products only?
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The Professor also cites the almost countless other ways in which animals assist humans; from farming to pulling carts, from security to disaster relief. Su said that animals have emotions, that they feel maternal love and pain. “When a young lamb sees its mother dragged out to slaughter, how painful will its heart be? Likewise, when the lamb is slaughtered, how sad will the mother be?”
Su is fond of retelling a story shared with him by a friend who had served as the vice president of a famous university. Their family had to sell a cow which they had had for 25 years for economic reasons. When the cow was brought to market and given to the cattle dealer, the cow knelt down and shed two tears.
The animal rights motion tabled at the Two Sessions also calls for military horses and police dogs to not be slaughtered, and to instead be provided with life-long care. For pets, it should be emphasised that they must not be abandoned, while stray animals should not be abused.
