After years of pandemic restrictions, Singapore is finally starting to adjust to life with Covid-19. In contrast, China is struggling with an Omicron outbreak that has reportedly placed 25 million residents under lockdown.
While many are adhering to safety rules, a viral video of a pet dog purportedly being killed in the name of Covid-19 measures has sparked outrage on social media.
On 8 Apr, The Standard Hong Kong reported that a corgi was culled after it was left behind by its owner, who was headed to a quarantine facility.
The owner appealed to the neighbourhood committee to take care of the pup and set it free so it could fend for itself. Instead, Shanghai officials allegedly culled the animal.
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In line with China’s zero-Covid strategy, residents who test positive must be quarantined in an isolation centre. This was the case for one Shanghai resident who owned a corgi.
A video shows the woman being followed by her loyal dog as she’s taken to a van bound for the isolation centre.
Once the owner had left, her poor dog was allegedly killed by an anti-pandemic worker.
It seems the worker used a shovel to beat the animal to death on the side of the road.
At the end of the clip, the corgi appears to be lying motionless in a pool of blood.
Later, a woman claiming to be the corgi’s owner reportedly shared her side of the story in a WeChat group.
She explained that since she was heading to a quarantine facility, there would be no food for her dog at home.
She had asked the neighbourhood committee to care for the corgi in her absence, but they allegedly turned her down.
The woman then claimed that she was not allowed to bring the dog back home and was asked to leave it outside.
She thought that leaving the dog outside would just make it a stray, but at least it wouldn’t starve. To her shock and horror, the corgi was killed right away, reported The Standard.
The owner was quoted as saying,
We didn’t expect it would be beaten to death right after we left.
According to AFP via the New York Post, the neighbourhood committee confessed to culling the dog because they feared being exposed to the virus.
However, they admitted that their actions were “thoughtless” and have plans to compensate the owner for her loss.
Learning about the corgi’s harsh fate must have been a traumatic experience for its owner.
We hope this incident will remind China’s officials to deal with animals in an ethical way. While it’s understandable to be fearful of the virus, resorting to such needless cruelty is definitely not the way to go.
MS News sends our deepest condolences to the woman for the loss of her dog.
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Featured image adapted from South China Morning Post and @NoMoreLiesCCP on Twitter.
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