Abuse continues in recreational animal encounters in China.
Case One
Luxury ‘Pig-View’ Hotel Room Offers Guests a Year’s Supply of Pork or the Option to Take Home a Pig
A theme park in Zhejiang province, China, is now offering tourists the chance to observe the country’s rarest and most highly-valued “two-ended black pigs”. Renowned for their striking black-and-white coloration, this breed is colloquially known as the “panda pig”.
For 8,888 yuan (around HK$9,600), guests can view into the ground floor piggery through a sealed window, ensuring observation of the pigs without the accompany smell. This, coupled with the fact that pigs are to be treated “with respect” and in an environment surrounded by flowers, all the more guarantees an odourless environment.
The theme park, opened in August 2021, was developed by the local government in order to promote and preserve this highly prized breed, which is used to make Jinhua dry-cured ham, a local speciality.
As reported by the Economic Daily, guests can opt to take home a panda pig or enjoy a year’s worth of pork for 6,000 yuan (HK$6,400) after checking out.
A theme park in China is offering guests the chance, for US$1,230 a night, to stay in a luxury hotel room overlooking a sty which is home to some of the mainland’s most prized pigs. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Case TWO
Angry Tourist Kicks Celebrity Goose to Death
The death of Da Bao, a celebrity wild goose at Hebei Provincial Garden Expo (河北省园博园) in a tourist spot in Shijiazhuang, has caused outraged on mainland social media.
The owner of Da Bao’s social media account, who had amassed a substantial social media following, revealed that Da Bao died after being kicked by a female tourist who had entered the territory of the spotted geese. The incident caused a broken neck and eventually led to the death of Da Bao. The tourist claimed that the bird had posed a threat to her daughter.
According to Jimu News, wild birds were introduced during the early construction of the Garden Expo, including spotted geese, ruddy ducks, black swans and other docile birds. Da Bao was one of the many that were kept in captivity.
A celebrity goose with thousands of online fans was kicked to death at a tourist site in China because it “scared” someone’s child, sparking a wave of anger on mainland social media. Photo: SCMP composite/CTi News
Thoughts
The two articles share a common worrying theme: the treatment of animals in various recreational settings in China.
Despite claims by the theme park that pigs are respectfully treated, it is essential to remain critical of their living conditions. For instance, the fact that guests can easily take home a pig upon check out is worrying. Similarly, the fact that Garden Expo allows for tourists to interact with wild birds in such close proximity is a cause for concern.
Although government-owned zoos and other institutions are generally better supervised than privately owned wildlife parks, the animals’ living conditions are still concerning due to the lack of laws and oversight in China. Whilst the country has a wildlife protection law that classifies animals based on their scarcity, there remains to be a lack of legislation to ensure the rights of other animals.
In an article published by South China Morning Post, Dr Sun Quanhui, a senior scientific adviser at World Animal Protection China, reveals how the overlap between different government agencies leaves what happens inside China’s zoos unsupervised. For example, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is responsible for government-owned zoos, the State Forestry Bureau oversees wildlife parks, whilst the Ministry of Agriculture’s fishery bureau governs aquariums.
As a result, zoos and other institutions are often free from legal responsibilities. Animal right activists are limited in their ability to address these issues, confined to merely condemning animal maltreatment from a moral perspective and referring to Western animal welfare laws.
As consumers, the power lies with us to vote with our feet and stop the demand for such tourism activities!
Courtesy of Wai Yan Janet Lam
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