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China reclassifies dogs as pets instead of livestock
China's Ministry of Agriculture issued new guidelines Wednesday that reclassify dogs as pets instead of livestock, part of the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
"As far as dogs are concerned, along with the progress of human civilization and the public concern and love for animal protection, dogs have been 'specialized' to become companion animals ... and they will not be regulated as livestock in China," the notice said.
The coronavirus is believed to have originated in horseshoe bats, which may have passed the disease to other wildlife species for sale in the markets of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected.
Following the outbreak, China banned the breeding, trading and consumption of wildlife.
Also at Reuters.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Arik on Saturday April 11 2020, @03:02PM (1 child)
I guess you haven't heard. Foreigners are being blamed for the wuhan virus, despite it making no sense. Foreigners are refused service everywhere, from food to medicine to housing. Foreigners that have paid their rent in advance are still evicted from their apartments. Foreigners that have been in China continuously since before the outbreak started, who have their official papers showing they have been tested and are clean - they are still turned away. A father of anglo origin, with a Chinese wife and their child, appears at the emergency room before the child injured himself. Father ticks all the boxes above - has been tested and cleared, hasn't left China since before it began - and they still won't let him in the hospital. Absolutely senseless, as they DID accept his wife and child inside, and obviously if he had the virus then they would have been exposed as well.
It makes no sense from an epidemiological point of view, it's pure politics. You want to talk about exploiting xenophobia for political gain? That's exactly what's going on. The CCP deflects blame onto the foreigners, and the people are conditioned to accept it, so it doesn't need to make sense.
China is on the verge of pogroms, if they aren't happening already.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Saturday April 11 2020, @04:29PM
Well, it's action consequent to greed, thoughtlessness, ignorance and stupidity, with a leavening of jingoism and superstition to round it out.
Hm.
Okay, yeah, that's a pretty good description of politics.
Carry on.
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Dear life: When I said "This can't get any worse",
it wasn't a freaking challenge