Beijing Suspends Dog Dishes from Menus during the Olympics

[Maggie Funkhouser]

Beijing has asked hotels and restaurants in the city to take dog meat
off the menu for the duration of next month's Olympics and September's
Paralympics.

According to several international news reports, a directive from the
Beijing Food Safety Office issued last month ordered Olympic
contracted hotels not to provide any dishes made with dog meat.
Concerned that canine dishes might offend animal rights groups and
Western visitors, Beijing tourist officials said restaurants, expected
to be popular among foreign visitors, must stop serving dog meat "to
respect the dining customs of different countries." The Beijing News
quoted the municipal food department as saying the decision has been
made to "respect the habits of many countries and nationalities."

Alley Cat Rescue is hoping this ban also includes cat meat; which
China also views as a delicacy and is found on restaurant menus.
During the 1988 Seoul Olympics, South Korea banned dog meat by
instating a law prohibiting the sale of "foods deemed unsightly."
However, after the Olympics, the ban was not strictly enforced.

Along with China’s temporary menu changes, Beijing has also been
rounding up cats and dogs to “cleanse” the city in preparation for the
Olympics. Stray and feral cats and dogs are poisoned, trapped to be
destroyed, or simply killed when demolition crews tear down old
structures to build the new facilities. If China wants to project a
sophisticated image during the Olympics, it must foster a culture of
responsible guardianship, in keeping with the 21st century animal
welfare standards.

Thank you, again, to those who signed ACR’s petitions expressing your
disapproval with China’s actions. Your opinions have been sent to the
International Olympic Committee and to the US Ambassador to China,
Zhou Wenzhong.

For more information on how you can help, please visit
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-beijing-olympics-cat-massacre?page=12.
******************************************************************************************************************************
To support ACR and our efforts to stop animal cruelty, please visit
www.saveacat.org to make a donation.

Also, be sure to visit our blog at http://alleycatrescue.blogspot.com
for up-to-date cat news.

To view some of our cats up for adoption, please visit www.petfinder.com.