State media reveals dark side of pet industry

The big environmental stories in the Chinese media this week (26 July-1 August)

For the past 32 years, pet breeders and dealers have selected cats and dogs at an underground pet market in Rugao, Jiangsu province, with no government oversight. 

According to a prime time story on China Central Television (CCTV), health certificates could easily be purchased at the underground market for only 100 yuan (US$14.5), regardless of the animals’ health. Local pet clinics could also provide fake birth certificates and vaccinations stamps.

Many pet shops in major Chinese cities buy sick puppies and kittens from the market and sell them on at a premium. Those pets live in horrendous conditions and are fed poor-quality food. One pet dealer said more than 50% of the pets they sell are sick and soon die. 

The pet industry is booming in China. The market size has risen from 30 billion yuan (US$4.3 billion) in 2010 to almost 200 billion in 2019. Lack of regulation and industry standards have led to problems. 

CCTV showed an illegal dog and cat breeding farm in Shandong province a few hundred meters away from the channel for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project – a scheme to transport water from China’s wetter south to its arid north for farming and drinking. Waste and carcasses of sick animals could easily pollute the water. 

Other problems have also made frequent headlines. Unvaccinated pets can not only spread diseases to other pets, but also to humans. Awareness of animal welfare still remains low in the country and there is no nationwide laws in China to prohibit the mistreatment of animals, pets included.