Animal welfare and rights in China
Animal welfare and rights in the People's Republic of China is a topic of growing interest. China has had limited animal protections by international standards, and animal-rights activists have condemned the treatment of animals in the country. Movements towards animal welfare and animal rights are expanding in China, including among homegrown Chinese activists.
Legislation
There are currently no nationwide laws in China that explicitly prohibit the mistreatment of animals.[1][2][3] However, the World Animal Protection notes that some legislation protecting the welfare of animals exists in certain contexts, especially ones used in research and in zoos.[4]
In 2006, Zhou Ping of the National People's Congress introduced a proposal for a nationwide animal-protection law in China, but it didn't move forward.[5]
In September 2009, the first comprehensive Animal protection law of the People's Republic of China was drafted, but it hasn't made any progress as of 2013.[3]
In 2014, China received an E out of possible grades A, B, C, D, E, F, G on World Animal Protection's Animal Protection Index.[4] That same year, Chinese law was amended so as to drop the mandatory requirement of testing cosmetics on animals for all Chinese-made cosmetic products, though the law still required imported cosmetics to be tested on animals in order to be legally sold in China.[6]
In 2020, following the revalation that the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China, was spread by wet markets that sold wild animals,[7] the Chinese government first announced a temporary ban on the transportation and sale of wildlife in late January,[8][9] before later announcing an indefinite (albeit still considered 'temporary') prohibition of both consumption and trade in late February, pending more comprehensive measures via an amendment to the wildlife protection law. Authorities across the country raided and shut down wet markets that sold wild or live animals.[10][11][12] Experts cited by Business Insider noted that much of the wildlife trade was already considered illegal prior to 2020, but wet markets operated via a combination of lax enforcement and legal loopholes in the law, which the wildlife protection law amendment sought to close.[13]
In early April 2020, the city of Shenzhen went further in its crackdown against wet markets by completely and indefinitely banning both the sale and consumption of cat meat and dog meat, starting from 1 May that year. The local government stated that the law was based not only on public health concerns, but also on evolving moral and ethical values.[14][15] About a week later, the Chinese National Medical Products Administration announced that mandatory animal tests on imported cosmetics would end, as it had approved nine non-animal based test methods for the certification of cosmetics imports. It also stated that the non-animal based testing methods would be 'preferred' by the authorities as the primary method for certifying the safety of both manufactured and imported cosmetics.[16][6][17]
History
Several traditional Chinese worldviews emphasize caring for animals, including Taoism and Buddhist vegetarianism.[1] Taoist Zhuang Zhou taught compassion for all sentient beings.[18]
For more modern times, Prof. Peter J. Li said in 2012 that many in mainland China had become possibly indifferent to animal suffering, because of Mao Zedong's campaigns against bourgeois sentiments, such as "sympathy for the downtrodden".[1] Caring about animals was regarded as "counter-revolutionary".[19] Since 1978, China had emphasized growth and avoidance of famine, which the government considered important for political stability. Local officials were often evaluated based on local jobs and revenue. This, Li claimed, had led to less concern for animal welfare. However, he also noted that the younger generation who were not so influenced by the past ideology and hardship during the time were generally far more sensitive to suffering, including those of animals.[1]
Animals used for food
Livestock
Livestock farming has grown exponentially in China in recent years, such that China is now "the world's biggest animal farming nation".[20] In 1978, China collectively consumed 1/3 as much meat as the United States. By 1992 China had caught up, and by 2012, China's meat consumption was more than double that of the U.S.[21]
A 2005–2006 survey by Prof. Peter J. Li found that many farming methods that the European Union was trying to reduce or eliminate were commonplace in China, including gestation crates, battery cages, foie gras, early weaning of cows, and clipping of ears/beaks/tails.[1] Livestock in China may have been transported over long distances, and there were currently no humane-slaughter requirements.[1]
Almost 3/4 of China's meat is pork, and China's 476 million pigs comprise half of the world's pig population.[21] China produces 37 million tons of farmed fish—more than 60% of the world's total.[21] In 2017, one of the country's largest agricultural producers, Da Bei Nong, signed an agreement with the International Cooperation Committee of Animal Warfare to improve the quality of life for its millions of pigs through increased roaming space and better flooring. A 2016 survey from the committee also suggests that two thirds of Chinese shoppers would pay more for pork that had been treated well while another one from the World Animal Protection indicated that almost 90% of respondents would be willing to change their purchasing habits for pork from pigs that had lived better lives.[22][23]
Controversial practices and incidents
In 2008, more than 40 animal activists in Beijing gathered to protest the reported cooking of live cats in the Guangdong province.[24]
The 2010 documentary San Hua by Guo Ke was the first to depict China's cat-meat industry. In one scene, Guo and fellow activists stopped a transport truck to find "more than 300 cats crammed into cramped wooden cages, unable to move"—some missing tails and others "crushed into unconsciousness". For another scene at Fa's Cat Restaurant in Kaiping, Guo used a hidden camera to film cooks beating cats with a wooden stick, dumping them into a fur-removal machine, and then boiling them. A cook at the restaurant claimed: "The worse you treat them the better they taste. It makes sure the blood gets into the meat and it tastes delicious."[25] Reports from 2013 and 2015 suggested that although the consumption of cat meat was widely considered taboo in China, it was still eaten in some rural and southern regions.[26][27]
Online tabloid newspapers widely shared a video in September 2016 of a greyhound-type dog being forced into a large barrel of boiling water. An article on The Telegraph stated that dogs are intentionally tortured in such ways to improve the taste of their meat.[28] A couple other reports have stated that since 2015 there has been little evidence for those allegations.[29][30] Growing publicity around such incidents, as well as increasing pet ownership, has led to disapproval of the dog and cat meat trade, amongst most surveyed Chinese,[31][32] with supply and demand of those markets on a steady decline.[33] The NoToDogMeat charity works with Chinese people who want to make a change, and has helped local campaigners set up shelters and rescue operations in the country.
Yin Yang fish involves deep-frying fish while it is still alive. The practice has been condemned by animal-rights activists. Many chefs in Taiwan are no longer willing to prepare it, but according to the defunct China Post, it has been popular in mainland China.[34] In 2009, a video of diners consuming this dish went viral on YouTube and provoked an outcry from PETA.[35]
Non-meat farming
Bile bears
China farms about 10,000 Asiatic black bears for bile production—an industry worth roughly $1.6 billion per year.[1] The bears are permanently kept in cages, and bile is extracted from cuts in their stomachs.[1] In Jan. 2013, Animals Asia Foundation rescued six bile bears, which had broken and rotted teeth due to gnawing at their cages.[36] Bloomberg Businessweek reported in 2013 that over 40,000 shops in all of China sold bear bile.[37]
Earthtrust reported in 1994 that although China had outlawed the trade and hunting of bear parts in 1989, their trade was still widespread and fuelled by the "growing spending power of a small portion of the population [and] continued demand for contraband products from Taiwanese, Korean and other foreign nationals".[38] In the same year, due to pressure from animal rights groups, the Chinese government reportedly agreed to stop issuing legal licenses for bear farmers.[39]
Jackie Chan and Yao Ming have publicly opposed bear farming.[36][40][41] In 2012, an IPO application by Fujian Guizhentang Pharmaceutical Co. caused social media outrage in China[42] along with a petition which involved over 70 Chinese celebrities opposing it due to the company's selling of bear-bile medicines.[43][44] Fang Shuting, the head of a TCM organisation affiliated with Guizhentang defended the bile harvesting process while a staffer at Guizhentang denied allegations of cruelty in a demonstration of the process.[45] In 2013, the company pulled its IPO application.[46][47]
According to Animals Asia in 2014, over 1,900 Chinese medicine stores have committed to not selling bear bile.[48] A 2016 online survey indicated that 98% of the Chinese respondents regarded the bile farming as cruel, with 90% saying they would never use or buy the product and 84% supporting an outright ban.[49] It was also reported on Tencent back in 2011 that online opinion polls generally had 90% of respondents supporting the elimination of bear farming.[50]
Fur
China has been reported as the biggest fur-producing nation, and the second largest producer next to Europe.[51][52] Nordic fur industries had reportedly played a key role in expanding fur farming in China.[53] Prof. Peter Li said in 2012 that fur animals were sometimes beaten to death with sticks on small farms or skinned alive.[1] However, he also said that the Chinese government had been working to standardize slaughtering procedures. Similar issues were reported in other countries producing fur.[53] A report in 2015 stated that increasing ethical awareness from Chinese consumers as well as quality problems with fur products have forced the industry closer towards international standards.[53] Fashion manager Elena Salvaneschi in 2019 also referenced on improved welfare in the Chinese fur industry.[54]
In Nov. 2013, PETA released a video of a live angora rabbit in northeastern China having its fur torn off. The video received 200,000 views on China's video site Youku within a month and prompted UK retailers like Primark and Topshop to stop imports from China of products using angora wool.[55]
Animal testing
In 2006, China issued the Guidelines on the Humane Treatment of Laboratory Animals. These guidelines mention, for the first time in China's formal policy and regulations, the words "animal welfare".[56] This regulation was issued in addition to other laboratory animal-related policies in China like the 1988 Statute on the Administration of Laboratory Animals, 1997 Laboratory Animal Development Program for the Ninth Five-Year Plan, the 2005 Guidelines on Beijing Municipality on the Review of Welfare and Ethics of Laboratory Animals.[57] Unlike the 1988 Statute on the Administration of Laboratory Animals which focuses solely on controlling the quality of the laboratory animals being tested on, the Guidelines on the Humane Treatment of Laboratory Animals officially expands into the realm of animal welfare and protection through addressing problems in procurement, husbandry, environmental conditions, experimental usage and transportation.[56]
A particular focus that the Guidelines on the Humane Treatment of Laboratory Animals has is on animal suffering. Concerning the level of pain that laboratory animals feel during the experimental process, the Guidelines require that pain and panic be inflicted as little as possible. Pain relief medication and anesthesia must be prescribed to laboratory animals undergoing procedures like surgery and dissection.[56] When the animal is deemed unusable for further testing, the Guidelines also require that the lives of the animals be ended humanely.[56]
Many scientists like Jianfei Wang, the director of laboratory animal science at GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development Center in China, maintain that China has made considerable progress to work towards animal protection and welfare, especially considering that the concept of laboratory animal science did not exist in China until the late twentieth century.[58] According to Wang, international collaboration with research institutions have brought animal welfare concepts from abroad back to China.[58] Additionally, as China gets more involved in international trade, there are many pressures placed on China throughout the world over concerns for animal welfare and protection. For example, organizations like PETA were instrumental with stopping a shipment research primates from Chinese laboratories to Los Angeles, the U.S.'s largest port of entry for research primates.[59] Major airlines such as Air China and China Eastern Airlines have also joined in on the global challenge of stopping laboratory tests on animals like primates and rodents.[59] China's entry in the World Trade Organization could also be stymied if adequate progress is not made towards pressuring Chinese laboratories to follow international regulations for laboratory animal welfare.
China has also felt domestic pressures to give laboratory animals more protection. In 2007, a photo taken by Li Feng depicting captive primates in cages waiting to be tested on won prizes in the economy and science categories in the China International Press Photo Contest.[56] Such glimpses into the conditions that laboratory animals in China are subject to have sparked outrage amongst the Chinese population and cries for further reform.
Despite foreign and domestic pressures, the country still uses, on average, about 12 to 13 million laboratory animals every year, with many being used towards making advances in drug and medical discovery.[56][59] Because international research institutions and companies face strict laws regarding ensuring the welfare of laboratory animals, many of these institutions and companies look towards China as the place to outsource animal testing and as a market for buying research animals.[56] However, some animals are also being tested for cosmetic purposes as well. China has a $32 billion beauty market, and over 300,000 animals are thought to be used each year for required product tests.[60] China is the only major buyer where mascaras and lotions need to be tested on animals.[60]
In 2013, the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) relaxed its testing requirements by allowing Chinese companies to verify safety using data from overseas tests, including non-animal tests. Foreign companies are still required to perform animal testing, but Humane Society International was hopeful about further humane reforms to come.[37]
On 30 June 2014, CFDA eliminated its requirement for animal testing of "ordinary cosmetics" like shampoos and some skin-care items as long as companies provided alternative data showing safety. This change does not extend to imported cosmetics or to "any special-use products, including hair dyes and sunblocks".[61] Some animal tests are likely to continue for now even on exempt products because some testers do not have the technology for alternative in vitro methods. Animal activists were excited by the announcement, and over 50 of them took to the streets of Dalian in northeastern China to celebrate, wearing bunny ears.[61]
Current regulations already required groups conducting research on live animals to procure a permit from the authorities, however so far few if any facilities have been punished for animal welfare and ethics violations. A rising number of multinational pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing their animal testing to China, in part due to pressure from animal rights groups in their home countries.[62]
After it has removed its requirement for animal-testing for many products manufactured there,[63] China seems to be taking an additional step towards a cruelty-free industry as it might not require animal testing for imported non-special use cosmetics anymore.[64]
Zoos
According to Prof. Peter J. Li, a few Chinese zoos are improving their welfare practices, but many remain "outdated", have poor conditions, use live feeding, and employ animals for performances.[1] Safari parks have fed live sheep and poultry to lions as a spectacle for crowds.[5]
There have been times in which local and international online pressure have prompted zoos to improve their animals' conditions voluntarily.[65] Organizations such as the Animals Asia Foundation have frequently worked with zoos to improve housing and enrichment programs for their animals, as well as spread education to public awareness. Recent major examples including Grandview Aquarium (2016)[65] the closing of the Hanoi Zoo Animal Circus (2016),[66] and various campaigns backed and publicized by the Beijing Zoo.[67]
Other animal-rights issues
In the mid 2010s, in Beijing, vendors sold fish, turtles, and amphibians as key rings and mobile-phone decorations. This practice received condemnation both within China and overseas. Animal-rights activists condemned the practice, stating that the animals may run out of air and die quickly, and they may also pose hazards to human health.[68][69]
Animal activism in China
Ideas of animal welfare and animal rights were further introduced to mainland China in the early 1990s.[70]
China's animal-protection movement is growing,[70] particularly among young people,[71] especially those in urban areas and on the Internet.[19] International NGOs played some role in igniting China's animal movement, but local groups are increasingly taking over.[41]
China is home to 130 million dogs, mostly pets.[1]
Chinese activists prevented introduction of a bullfighting project in 2010 and rodeos in 2011.[1] Activists have pre-empted a foie gras factory, ended live feeding in zoos, and rescued thousands of dogs and cats from being killed for meat.[2] According to The Economist, vegetarian restaurants are increasing, though partly because of fashion rather than ethics.[5]
A 2011 survey of about 6000 Chinese found that while about 2/3 of respondents had never previously heard of "animal welfare", 65.8% expressed at least partial support of animal-welfare laws (while 81.6% found them necessary in another question), and more than half said they were fully or partially willing to pay more for humane animal products.[72] Two surveys back in 2002 and 2003 of Chinese college students also found that respectively 95% and 93.7% of them philosophically supported animal protection work, although only 48.2 and 51% of them were planning to actively participate.[73]
Xu Jingquan, secretary-general at the Beauty and Cosmetics Chamber of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, reportedly said in 2013 that Chinese consumers thought less than others on issues such as animal testing for cosmetics.[74] However, Mark Jones of the Born Free Foundation noted in the same year that Chinese tourists were among the most enthusiastic customers of cruelty-free products from Lush, amidst increasing widespread concern from online Chinese in the country on such issues.[75]
Tsinghua University professor Zhao Nanyuan argues that animal rights represents a form of Western imperialism ("foreign trash") that is "anti-humanity". He argues that animals are not sentient (despite overwhelming scientific evidence of animal consciousness and sentience) and therefore don't have rights. He encourages China to learn from the example of South Koreans who refused Western protests of its dog-meat traditions.[76]
Critics have pointed out that while non-human animals are not as advanced in their needs and desires as humans, they do share some basic needs, such as food, water, shelter and companionship.
Some claim that it is contradictory for the U.S. to condemn China's mistreatment of animals while engaging in its own forms of animal cruelty. Chinese animal-welfare groups censured an American-style rodeo, as well as Jackie Chan's support for it. One Chinese commenter said of Chan: "You made a video about the protection of bears, and now you're promoting the mistreatment of cattle, it's a massive contradiction. Brother Chan, you've hurt me deeply."[77]
See also
- Chinese Animal Protection Network
- Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, held each June
- Dog meat in China
- Wang Yan (activist), dog rescuer
- List of animal rights advocates
- Speciesism
By Country
Notes
- Tobias, Michael Charles (2 Nov 2012). "Animal Rights In China". Forbes. Archived from the original on 22 September 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- Robinson, Jill (7 Apr 2014). "China's Rapidly Growing Animal Welfare Movement". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- Tatlow, Didi Kirsten (6 Mar 2013). "Amid Suffering, Animal Welfare Legislation Still Far Off in China". New York Times Blogs. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- "China". World Animal Protection. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- "A small voice calling". The Economist. 28 Feb 2008. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- "Animal testing in China: China's move towards animal alternatives". Frame. 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
- "Dangers lurk for China's ban on the wild animal trade". South China Morning Post. 2020-03-01. Archived from the original on 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- "China Focus: Stay away from wild animals, China takes sustained action against illegal wildlife trade – Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- "Vietnam and China finally ban wildlife trade". Vietnam Insider. 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- Ning, Lisa (2020-03-05). "China's New Wildlife Trade Ban and Upcoming Law Amendment". NRDC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- Ben Westcott; Shawn Deng. "China has banned eating wild animals after the coronavirus outbreak. Ending the trade will be hard". CNN. Archived from the original on 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- "China's legislature adopts decision on banning illegal trade, consumption of wildlife – Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- Woodward, Aylin. "China just banned the trade and consumption of wild animals. Experts think the coronavirus jumped from live animals to people at a market". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2020-03-14. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- "China's Shenzhen bans the eating of cats and dogs after coronavirus". Reuters. 2020-04-02. Archived from the original on 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- "Chinese city bans the eating of cats and dogs". BBC News. 2020-04-02. Archived from the original on 2020-04-02. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- "China Will No Longer Require Animal Testing On Cosmetic Products". British Vogue. Archived from the original on 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
- "China's NMPA Approves New In Vitro Methods For Regulating Cosmetics". Archived from the original on 2019-12-20. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
- Miyun Park; Peter Singer (Mar–Apr 2012). "The Globalization of Animal Welfare". Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- Levitt, Tom (26 Feb 2013). "Younger generation face long wait for law-change on animal cruelty". chinadialogue. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- Li, Peter J. (Jun 2009). "Exponential Growth, Animal Welfare, Environmental and Food Safety Impact: The Case of China's Livestock Production". Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. 22 (3): 217–240. doi:10.1007/s10806-008-9140-7. ISSN 1573-322X. S2CID 154732288. Archived from the original on 2019-04-29. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
- Larsen, Janet (24 Apr 2012). "Meat Consumption in China Now Double That in the United States". Earth Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- "Millions of pigs will soon live better lives in China". Christian Science Monitor. 2017-07-06. ISSN 0882-7729. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- "Chinese consumers support better welfare for pigs". Archived from the original on 2019-12-09.
- "China protesters: Stop 'cooking cats alive'". Associated Press. 18 Dec 2008. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- Yiyan, Zhou (6 Oct 2010). "The fight to protect China's cats". chinadialogue. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- Allen, Kerry (2015-10-30). "Claws out over China cat meat scandal". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2019-06-12. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "'Don't eat cat and dog meat' - activists to Chinese diners". NDTV Food. Archived from the original on 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- Wedderburn, Pete (2016-09-12). "Animal cruelty in China: what can be done about it?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- "This Chinese dog-eating festival's days are numbered thanks to a massive social media campaign". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
- "The truth about the Yulin dog meat festival – and how to stop it". Animals Asia Foundation. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- "Survey of public attitudes to dog and cat eating in China (page 7)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-12-09.
- "Chinese Say 'No' to Dog Meat as Dog Ownership Grows". Time. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- "Truth about Yulin dog meat festival". NewsComAu. 2017-07-11. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- "Chefs refuse to serve 'dead-and-alive fish'". The China Post. 9 Jul 2007. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- Leach, Ben (18 Nov 2009). "Chinese diners eat live fish in YouTube video". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- Yee, Amy (28 Jan 2013). "Market for Bear Bile Threatens Asian Population". New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- Einhorn, Bruce (14 Nov 2013). "Animal-Rights Activists Celebrate Small Victories in China". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- "Bear Farming and Trade in China and Taiwan". earthtrust.org. Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- Grant, Catharine (2006). The No-nonsense Guide to Animal Rights. New Internationalist. ISBN 978-1-904456-40-7.
- "Jackie Chan PSA on Bear Bile Farming". World Animal Protection US. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- "Animal Rights In China Get Boost From Celebrity Activists And Shifting Attitudes". Huffington Post. 22 Apr 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- "China bear bile company quits IPO bid after outcry". AP News (reprinted). Archived from the original on 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- Carrillo, B.; Hood, J.; Kadetz, P. I. (2017-07-28). Handbook of Welfare in China. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78347-274-1.
- Loo, Daryl (16 Feb 2012). "Chinese Celebrities Oppose IPO for Operator of Bear-Bile Farm". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- "TCM expert defends bile harvesting". AsiaOne Singapore. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Bear-bile firm Fujian Guizhentang Pharmaceutical among IPO pullouts". South China Morning Post. June 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- Turk, Gregory (4 Jun 2013). "China Bear-Bile Farm Operator Among 269 Companies to Pull IPO". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- "Thousands of Chinese pharmacies reject bear bile products". www.animalsasia.org. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Can traditional Chinese medicine end cruelty to China's bears?". www.chinadialogue.net. Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- "Fighting for China's battery bears". www.chinadialogue.net. Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- "European Mink Industry, Socio-economic Impact Assessment" (PDF). September 2017.
- "Fur farms". Animal Ethics. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Case Saga Furs - Nordic Fur Trade (pages 18, 37)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-12-21.
- Potenza, Teresa (2019-02-28). "Italian Fur Industry Takes a Green Path at TheOneMilano". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- Gao, Helen (23 Jan 2014). "Letter from Beijing: Animal cruelty is rife in China—but things are changing". Prospect Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- Cao, Deborah (2015). Animals in China: Law and Society. New York: The Palgrave Macmillan.
- Kong, Qi; Qin, Chuan (2010). "Analysis of Current Laboratory Animal Science Policies and Administration in China". ILAR e-Journal. 51 (1): e1–e11. doi:10.1093/ilar.51.1.e1. PMID 20075493.
- "International Animal Research Regulations: Impact on Neuroscience Research: Workshop Summary: The Evolving Regulatory Environment". Institute of Medicine. National Academies Press. 2012 – via Institute of Medicine.
- Lu, Jiaqi; Bayne, Kathryn; Wang, Jianfei (2013). "Current Status of Animal Welfare and Animal Rights in China". Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International. 41 (5): 351–7. doi:10.1177/026119291304100505. PMID 24329743. S2CID 27944352 – via ATLA.
- Lin, Liza (26 Sep 2013). "An Ugly Dilemma for Beauty Companies". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- Huang, Shaojie (30 Jun 2014). "China Ends Animal Testing Rule for Some Cosmetics". New York Times Sinosphere. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
- "China plans revised regulations on animal testing". WebMD China. April 15, 2014. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- Huang, Shaojie (30 June 2014). "China Ends Animal Testing Rule for Some Cosmetics". Sinosphere Blog.
- "China May Lift Animal-Test Constraint on Some Cosmetics". PETA. 24 August 2020.
- ""World's saddest zoo" bosses invite Animals Asia to discuss concerns". www.animalsasia.org. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
- "Hanoi Zoo closes its animal circus – join Animals Asia in saying THANK YOU". www.animalsasia.org. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
- "Campaigners jubilant as China's top zoo backs campaign". www.animalsasia.org. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
- "Live animals sold as key rings in China". CNN. 15 Apr 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- "Shell Shock". Snopes. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
- Lu, Jiaqi; Bayne, Kathryn; Wang, Jianfei (Nov 2013). "Current status of animal welfare and animal rights in China". Altern Lab Anim. 41 (5): 351–357. doi:10.1177/026119291304100505. PMID 24329743. S2CID 27944352.
- McGuinness, Michelle (22 May 2013). "Animal welfare activists in China rise up against cruelty". MSN News. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- Xiaolin You; Yibo Li; Min Zhang; Huoqi Yan; Ruqian Zhao (14 Oct 2014). "A Survey of Chinese Citizens' Perceptions on Farm Animal Welfare". PLOS ONE. 9 (10): e109177. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9j9177Y. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109177. PMC 4196765. PMID 25314159.
- "Animal Welfare Consciousness of Chinese College Students (page 7)".
- "An Ugly Dilemma for Beauty Companies". Bloomberg. September 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-06-29.
- "'Sold in China' Could Take on New Meaning in Campaign to End Cosmetics Animal Testing". HuffPost. 2013. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04.
- Li, Peter J. (2006). "The Evolving Animal Rights and Welfare Debate in China: Political and Social Impact Analysis". Animals, Ethics and Trade: The Challenge of Animal Sentience. London: Earthscan. pp. 111–128.
- "Chinese claim Americans cruel to animals (Jackie Chan doesn't)". May Daily. 25 Jul 2011. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- "13 Shocking Videos Show How Sheep Suffer for Wool". PETA Headlines. Archived from the original on 2020-04-20. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Stop Canada's seal hunt. Harp seals are beaten with clubs, shot, and many skinned alive for their fur". In Defense of Animals. Archived from the original on 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Leather - The Issues". PETA India. Archived from the original on 2019-09-02. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "In Indonesia, dogs face off wild boars in bloody, lucrative fights". The France 24 Observers. Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Animals boiled alive in Dutch slaughterhouses". NL Times. 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Inside Thailand's Exotic-Skins Industry". PETA Asia. Archived from the original on 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- "Animals Beaten, Boiled Alive, Left to Suffocate or Freeze to Death at UK Slaughterhouses". PETA UK. 2016-08-30. Archived from the original on 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2020-05-11.