ABSTRACT
In the past few years, a new debate has erupted in mainland China. This debate focuses on animal rights, animal welfare and animal treatment in general. In the not too distant past, such subjects were conveniently rejected as unworthy of serious academic attention. China's rapid economic changes, increasing societal activism on environmental issues, continuous influx of foreign ideas and a rising societal awareness of the rights for the disadvantaged, including the non-human animals, are impacting the agendas of public discussions. Directly triggering this public debate were several highly publicized animal cruelty incidents involving, for example, five bears at Beijing Zoo attacked with concentrated acid by a college student and the tragic death of a circus tiger out of sheer exhaustion. Indirectly fuelling this debate is the prevalence of cruel practices in China's farming industries, slaughtering operations, entertainment parks and other animal-holding institutions.
