Complaint embarrasses websites

Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) wrote a letter to websites mop.com and 56.com on November 23, asking them to delete crush videos and not provide a platform to producers of such images.

"These videos show images of animal cruelty which in addition to causing severe animal suffering have a negative psychological impact upon the people viewing them and could lead to people copying these acts and causing further suffering to animals and people," it said.

In response, mop.com launched an online campaign against animal abuse, setting up three QQ groups and deleting all its crush videos.

A group of animal rights activist and experts gathered in Beijing for an emergency meeting to discuss crushing on November 27.

Chang Jiwen, who chaired the board to draft what was hoped to be China's first animal protection law last year, called for urgent legislation to end animal cruelty. "It's hard for an individual or grass-roots organization to stop animals from being abused," he said. "It's time for the passage of an animal protection law."

Maggie Chen, a cruelty caseworker for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said they had received "tons of complaints" since the crush video came to light.

"We think the Chinese government should arrest and punish all the people involved and abolish the animal abuse group," she said.

She suggested those involved could be charged with a public order offence and argued the people who made and sold such videos had violated the Administration of Internet Information Services Measures.