Following the death of three people from rabies, a county in southwestern China has killed as many as 50,000 dogs in a government-ordered campaign. In many cases these dogs were taken from their owners while they were being walked and beaten to death on the spot by club carrying killing teams. These teams also entered villages at night and created noise to get dogs barking in order to locate more victims. Even dogs that had been vaccinated against rabies were not spared.
The cold-blooded massacre could have been avoided if the government focused on preventing the disease through vaccination. However, in a country where there are currently no animal welfare laws the government preferred mass killings. Many of these dogs died slow, agonizing deaths before the eyes of their guardians who are helpless to protect them. Additionally, owners were offered 63 cents per animal to kill their dogs before the killing teams were sent.
Sign the League's Petition to China's Ambassador urging the Chinese government to adopt rabies prevention and end these brutal killings. | 
