March 14, 2008

BEIJING – In an attempt to clean-up one of the world's most populous cities before thousands of foreigners flock there for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games, China has begun carrying out the round-up, and extermination of thousands of cats.

UK newspaper Daily Mail reported that the animals are being brought to government “death camps” where without food, water or health care they die of starvation and disease.

According to the reports, a Chinese government campaign has told Beijing residents to beware of stray and feral cats, as they may carry disease – even attributing the spread of SARS in 2003 partially to the animals.

One result of the campaign has been mild hysteria, in one case two concerned kindergarten teachers were so afraid of potential illness reaching their students that they killed six stray felines by beating them to death with sticks.

Animal activists say Beijing residents are abandoning their animals in the streets for fear of possible contamination from the diseases the government claims felines carry.

Animal rights groups in the country have begun speaking out against the 'clean-up' but due to fear of reprisal are limited in their ability to protest.

In all, an estimated 500,000 felines are said to have been culled by the government.

Government officials assert that people can adopt the cats they round up from any of the 12 pounds located throughout the city, but animal activists claim the facilities are “almost impossible to get inside.”

One group adopted 30 cats from one such compound, but reported that within days, half the felines died due to diseases.

“These cats are being left to die. It is very humane,” said Yan Qi, founder of the aforementioned rescue group.

According to another rescuer, disease in the pounds spreads quickly because the animals are kept in tiny cages and in very tight proximity to one another.

Since adopting the sick animals, Yan’s group has been banned from entering the pounds.

“We have tried to negotiate with the government to stop the round-ups and to introduce cut-price neutering services so that people can afford to keep their pets but they won’t listen,” she said. “They are not thinking about the cats. They just want to get the quickest results in the quickest way possible, by clearing as many cats from the city as they can.”

According to former doctor and current cat caretaker, 80 year-old Hu Yuan, many of the cats are also being sent to southern Chinese city of Guangzhou – known for serving meat from dogs and cats and other exotic animals.

Cleaning up cats isn’t the government’s only recent tactic to improve the city’s appearance in the days leading up to the games. To ease smog, polluting factories will be shut down, but only for the duration of the events.

Subway fares will be reduced to keep riders off polluting buses, and homeless people are being given rail passes and encouraged to return to their home cities.

Taxi drivers are being taught simple greetings in English as part of a courtesy campaign aimed at teaching Beijing’s notoriously “grumpy” residents to be polite.

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