BEIJING: For poisoning and killing nine dogs in a residential compound, a 65-year-old man in Beijing was sentenced to four years in jail on Thursday (Dec 11).
The man, identified by his surname Zhang, had soaked chopped chicken bones in sodium fluoroacetate, a highly-toxic substance notably used in rat poison.
Ingesting or even merely sniffing or licking a small amount can be fatal to animals and even humans, studies showed.
The cases took place back in September 2022, in Beijing’s Chaoyang district and police investigations revealed that Zhang had deliberately placed the poisoned food items in common areas like playgrounds to target pets.
A total of 11 dogs were poisoned, local media reports said. Nine died while two survived.
One of the victims was a 13-year-old West Highland terrier named Papi – whose owner, Li Yihan, has been seeking justice.
Zhang was arrested in 2022 and his trial began in 2023. But despite his swift arrest, the verdict had been repeatedly delayed, according to Chinese media reports.
During his trial, Zhang admitted to poisoning the dogs.
He vaguely explained his reasons for doing so – saying he disliked dogs and targeted them because he was angry about them urinating on his tricycle.
He also cited his granddaughter’s dislike of them.
While there are laws in place to protect wildlife, livestock and laboratory animals, there are no laws in China explicitly prohibiting general animal cruelty.
Zhang’s sentencing is Beijing’s first criminal public prosecution case involving pet dog poisoning, according to state media reports.
Source: CNA
