Maria Daines
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9/5/2006 10:41:32 PM
Jackie Chan says 'Have a heart for dogs'
Yahoo! Asia News
Thursday August 31
Action star Jackie Chan urges China to 'have a heart for dogs'
BEIJING (AFP) - Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan has urged China to "have a
heart for dogs" after thousands of the animals were killed to fight rabies
outbreaks, the animal rights group PETA said.
Chan has teamed up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA),
the world's largest animal rights organization, to stop the mass culling of
dogs to fight a disease that can easily be prevented with vaccinations.
The kung fu movie hero has created a unique greeting card that will be
auctioned off on eBay starting Thursday to benefit PETA Asia-Pacific's
humane rabies control campaign, the group said in a press release.
Shaped like a heart, the handmade card features the Chinese characters for
"love" and "respect" along with the actors signature.
It also carries the inscription: "Of course it is our duty as human beings
to love and respect each other. But that obligation extends to our animal
friends as well. They are just as deserving of our care and kindness."
Chan is an icon of popular culture, not only in Hong Kong but in China.
"With Jackies help, we hope to make dog culling a thing of the past," says
PETA Asia-Pacific Director Jason Baker. "Humane rabies prevention programs
not only save dogs lives, they also save human lives."
Meanwhile PETA representatives have met with Chinese government officials in
the wake of the mass slaughter and provided them with posters and guidelines
for humane methods of rabies control.
With an increase in the number of people raising dogs, rabies has emerged in
recent weeks as a top public health priority, as more people have contracted
rabies from dog bites.
Although people are supposed to vaccinate their dogs and register them, many
families, especially in the countryside, violate the regulations partly
because they do not want to pay vaccination or registration costs.
News of plans by authorities in the eastern province of Shandong to kill up
to half a million dogs, following the death of 16 people from rabies in the
past eight months, made headlines worldwide.
One county in southwest Yunnan province earlier in August ordered more than
50,000 dogs killed after rabies led to the deaths of three people.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060831/afp/060831135006people.html
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