On the afternoon of April 15, pet-lovers in China stopped a truck and rescued the 520 dogs aboard it near a highway toll in suburban Beijing. The truck was en route to a slaughterhouse. Police later found that the driver of the truck had all the necessary paperwork, including animal quarantine papers. After nearly 15 hours, the incident ended with a pet company and an environmental conservation foundation buying the dogs for about 100,000 yuan, and the dogs were sent to the China Small Animal Protection Association in Beijing for temporary custody. Tencent has announced on Weibo that it will pay for follow-up treatments and the adoption fees for the rescued dogs.

There is no denying that the dog "rescue" was bold and unreasonable: not only are the rescuers suspected of breaking laws, but their rescue also constitutes a crime of "hard sell." Moreover, their rescue also negatively impacted highway order. The animal rights organizations and volunteers need to rethink their actions carefully. But regardless of the "flaws," the significance of their behavior should not be underestimated.

First of all, it was the strongest call for animal protection in decades. For similar animal protection activities, more volunteers prefer to adopt a relatively modest approach. This time, the dog rescue should be seen as the most powerful voice from the heart of the animal rights activists, which has awakened people's consciences to protect small animals. The rescue mission was a remarkable hallmark event for animal protection, a change from promotional activities to action.

Secondly, though waylaying a truck may be illegal, it is consistent with the mission of animal rights activism and addresses the need of a more humanized way to protect animals. The action will force government officials to devise regulations on animal protection. There are no specific regulations on animal protection in China. In late 2009, it was reported China's first animal protection law was finished. A group of experts, represented by Chang Jiwen, the principal drafter of the new law, proposed for the amendment of the Chinese criminal law by adding the crimes of cruelty to animals. But how to treat small animals still belongs in the legislative blind zone. Recent action no doubt serves as a wake-up-call for legislators.

The greatest significance of the dog rescue is that it tells people that animals' lives also deserve our respect. Society progresses and develops gradually, and some aggressive behaviors in the past will be criticized. In the West, people used to be indifferent to wearing fur, but now they are spurning those who wear fur. The case is sufficient to explain that the concept of people is in progress. Animal protection, which some people may not agree with at present, may become a national habit and part of the moral consciousness of society.

(This article was first published in Chinese and translated by Li Huiru.)

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