Online Retailer Bans Sale of Dog and Cat Meat Thanks to Public Pressure

Speaking out against animal cruelty works! Chinese online shopping platform, Pin Duo Duo recently announced that they have BANNED the sale of dog and cat meat on their site, as well as the sale of shark fin and bear bile. Pin Duo Duo made the compassionate decision after customers posted screenshots showing the illegal sale of dog and cat meat on the site and threatened to boycott the online retailer.

The activists pointed to research released in 2015 by animal welfare organization Animals Asia to Support their action. The investigation revealed the scale of illegality in the dog meat trade, showing that many dogs are poisoned when stolen from their homes or snatched from the streets, and therefore the dogs have no proof of origin or vaccination histories, which required by law and raises health concerns.

The investigation also found that every stage of the industry supply chain features illegality in order to boost profits, which suggests that if laws were upheld, the industry would be unable to continue at its current scale.

“Consumer power cannot be underestimated, and once again has proved to be a driving factor behind positive change in China. The Chinese public are making it very clear to big business that not only is animal cruelty morally wrong, it’s also bad for business,” said Irene Feng, Animals Asia’s Cat and Dog Welfare Director.

This fantastic victory follows leading Chinese online retailer Taobao deciding to ban more than 130 dog meat products from their site earlier this year after being alerted by Animals Asia. And in 2016, ele.me, a leading food platform, banned the sale of dog meat, bear bile, bear paw and shark fin from their platform. What’s more, in April, we got word that Taiwan will become the first Asian country to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat.

It’s important we continue to keep the momentum going to end this horrific industry. With over 10 million dogs believed to be slaughtered for their meat in China annually, we can’t slow down. Consider making a donation to Animals Asia so that they can continue exposing animal cruelty.

And don’t forget to share this victory with your friends and family!

Image Source: Spiritze/Pixabay