Story By: Buli Liang, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
AsiaWire
This is the moment four men apparently bludgeon a dog to death in the street under the alleged orders of their community leader to combat the coronavirus.
The incident was filmed in the district of Jinniu in the city of Chengdu in the Chinese province of Sichuan and the footage has been widely shared on social media.
The video shows four community officers apparently beating a black dog to death with sticks.
The animal’s owner Jizhufo shared a photo of his dead Labrador lying on the sofa next to a blood-stained bowl of water.
She reportedly found her pet’s dead body in the street after half an hour of wondering where it was.
According to reports, residents questioned the community officers’ actions and they simply replied: “Go ask the leader.”
They were targeting dogs based on the rumour that domestic pets can carry coronavirus which has led to many recent cases of animal abuse in China, according to local media.
The World Health Organization has clarified that there is no evidence showing pets can contract the deadly virus.
So far, community heads have failed to apologise to the owner or compensate her for her pet’s death, according to reports.
The WHO said that been no reported cases of the coronavirus in domestic animals although that does not rule out that it could happen, saying only: “At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus.”
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