Highway dog rescue sparks debate
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China.org.cn, April 24, 2011
Editor's note:
On April 15 animal lovers dramatically rescued 520 dogs from a truck that was taking them to the slaughterhouse. After using their cars to blockade the truck for 15 hours, the activists paid a 100,000 yuan ransom to save the dogs from their date with the dinner table. The incident raised a storm on the Internet, with many netizens praising the action of the animal lovers, while others denounced them as law-breakers who had put the truck driver's life in danger and prevented others going about their lawful business.
Were the activists right to stop the truck? Is direct action to prevent cruelty to animals justified?
China.org.cn presents two opposing points of view.
Dog rescue has positive meanings
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. >>
Highway dog rescuers ignored the public good
When hundreds of members of an animal rights group descended on a truck they suspected of illegally carrying dogs on the Jingha Highway, they were praised in the media and online forums. Many dog-lovers, who feel that dogs are man's best friend and should not be eaten, applauded the action, even though police and animal quarantine officials declared that the dog shipment – wherever it was to – was legal. As a practitioner of law, I have regrets about this incident, in which individual morality overrode another's legal rights. When animal rights activists "loved" the dogs, they ignored public order and the legal rights of the dogs' owner. >>
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