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| China’s National General Kennel Club (NGKC) |
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| For Immediate Release |
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| Very disturbing news from Hanzhong City, in Shaanxi Province, China. |
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| Reliable sources have confirmed the ongoing indiscriminate, and uncivilized killing of more than 20,000 dogs by the authorities of the city of Hanzhong, in Shaanxi province, that began on May 7, 2009, and continues to this day. This is in response to a serious rabies epidemic. The official China Daily website quotes Mr.Dang Zhengqing, Party Secretary of Yangxian county, "The culling is extreme, but necessary to combat the deadly epidemic. All lives are equally important, but we decided to sacrifice dogs for human health." They also quote Mr. Tan Xiaodong, a public health professor at Wuhan University, saying “there was no justification for the killings”. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-06/02/content_7965339.htm We understand and accept the necessity to eliminate animals when they pose a serious health threat to humans, however the methods used to achieve this are deplorable.
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| We find this method appalling, irresponsible, uncivilized, and unacceptable. We call on the world to support us on this issue. | |||
| NGKC condemns, and firmly believes that such an approach is totally ineffective. Mandatory free vaccinations with microchip registration, spay/neuter together with an aggressive public education in responsible dog ownership is the only effective way. The authorities of the city of Hanzhong, and all others, must be educated in euthanizing animals, when necessary, instead of the very cruel methods used now. NGKC has always taken an engagement rather than a confrontation approach with such issues. The chairman of NGKC, officers, and staff, senior staff from the Beijing Agricultural University Veterinary College, and NGKC member club volunteers will be visiting the Hanzhong city authorities this week to express our strong disapproval of such actions, offer them alternative solutions, and demonstrate the humane method of euthanasia. Our November 27, 2009 Global Canine Welfare Responsibility Forum, in conjunction with our National Dog Show, in Tianjin, China, will now focus on this issue. We are asking world leading canine organizations to join us in this effort, and we encourage international media support. | |||
 Shi Zhaoxin Chairman, President & Founder NGKC
Media Contact: Theo Vavas, VP, COO |