Lu Di: Let conscience guide our actions

I was shocked to hear that authorities in Shanghai have decided stray dogs will be "dealt with" after keeping them in rehabilitation centers for just 30 days. It is hard to believe that a civilized society can treat life with such coldness and lack of concern.

All lives deserve respect, even if they are homeless and uncared for dogs. Mercy is an integral part of our tradition as well as a universal virtue. As an ancient Chinese proverb goes, "the ruling heaven cares for all lives".

It is really cruel to put dogs to death just because they have no owners. The Shanghai draft regulation on pet animals betrays universal values and traditional virtues both.

By proposing such a draft, officials may be trying to solve the problem of stray animals. But their decision should be conscientious, instead of being focused on saving money and avoiding trouble. The draft is unacceptable and should be revised.

To solve the problem of stray animals, it is necessary for the authorities to find its root first. There are two kinds of stray animals: those that lose their way and cannot find their home and those that are abandoned by their owners.

Let alone dogs, even human beings (especially children) can lose their way in today's pedestrian-unfriendly cities, which essentially are a jungle of high-rise buildings. The dogs cannot be blamed for that.

The pseudo-lovers of dogs (they are not rare) are to be blamed for driving their pets away when they no longer need them or when they are sick. The innocent animals should not be punished for the wrongs committed by humans.

We should learn from some foreign countries how to treat such animals. Relevant departments should put them in rehabilitation centers and issue public notices to find their owners. The animals that are not claimed by their owners can be considered abandoned and put up for adoption.

In this Internet age, it is not difficult to post a notice online. Many non-governmental organizations have been doing a good job of finding stray animals a home. So the local government cannot wash its hands of the problem and put the animals to death.

Considering the size and population of today's cities, a one-month buffer period is too short a time to find the owners of stray dogs and cats. The period should be at least five to six months. The highly developed Shanghai is an economic powerhouse and has enough funds to bear this trivial cost.

Even after the recommended five- to six-month period expires, the local government should not "execute" them. There are many animal lovers who can adopt them if the government refuses to keep and feed them. The government should try to contact any of the animal lovers' organizations to find the stray dogs and cats a home.

Of course, the local government should cull the dogs suffering from incurable infectious disease like rabies and thus pose a threat to humans and other animals. Putting them to death without making enough efforts to find them a home or cure their disease is tantamount to massacre.

China has performed an economic miracle and is today an emerging power. But it lags behind many other countries in spirituality and moral education.

A society without respect for life is uncivilized. Indifference and cruelty to life are signs of moral decline. Let us treat animals with care and allow our conscience to guide our actions.

The author is an animal rights activist. This is an excerpt of her interview with China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang.