china: animal welfare advocates’ voice finally heard

Her apartment in northwest Beijing looks like a small zoo with 43 cats, 5 dogs, 3 rabbits, 3 pigeons, a duck, an owl and a monkey.
But many animals are sick, injured or disabled. Lu Di, the 79-year-
The owner of the old apartment patiently cleared the fur, feathers and feces scattered around the room.
She gets up at 5 every morning to feed the animals, wash them and bring the sick animals to the vet.
Lu, head of the China Small Animal Protection Association, said: \"It usually takes a whole day to complete my daily work (CSAPA)
A famous animal welfare advocate.
Thin hunchback Gray
The hair lady was the secretary of the late chairman Mao Zedong because of her expertise in Chinese classical literature.
A family of intellectuals born and raised, Lu is 44 hours in 1975, 82-year-
Old Mao Zedong\'s vision began to decline due to cataract.
Mao likes reading, especially classical Chinese literature and history.
But cataract hinders his vision and the pleasure of reading.
Mao Zedong asked a confidential secretary to read the party\'s documents aloud, but the secretary found it difficult to deal with Chinese classical literature.
Mao needs someone with a solid background in classical literature to be able to interact with him in this job.
A number of candidates were selected from the Chinese department of Peking University.
Mao selected Teacher Lu in the department from that group.
Mao Zedong has read the ancient Chinese classics \"selected works of the past dynasties\", some of which are annotated by Lu annotated.
Mao was impressed with Lu\'s talent and remembered her name. Lu’s four-
In a month, she read aloud for Mao Zedong and discussed Chinese classical literature with Mao Zedong, winning the reputation of the whole country.
She described herself as an elegant woman, \"often sitting in a clean office drinking tea and reading books.
Although she wants to write Mao and Chinese classical literature, taking care of animals leaves her with little time and energy.
Zhong Liqin, a staff member at CSAPA, said: \"She could have lived a comfortable life like other old people . \".
\"However, she chose a difficult one.
\"Lu said that when she was a little girl, she established emotional ties with small animals --
\"I have ducks, cats and dogs as pets in my family. ” As a middle-
During the Cultural Revolution, she began to save the injured animals.
\"The political chaos has broken many families and children\'s pets are homeless or abused,\" she recalls . \".
\"I feel like I have to save them.
All life is equal. We live only once.
\"I have seen too much cruelty to ignore the brutal and uncivilized side of China.
It is my mission to save abused animals, awaken people\'s conscience and let them treat animals correctly.
In 1992, Lu launched CSAPA, a non-governmental organization dedicated to animal welfare and animal rescue.
Now CSAPA, China\'s largest animal welfare organization, has an animal shelter in the north of Changping district, Beijing, with more than 1,000 animals, mainly dogs and cats.
But as Lu\'s number of animals saved increased, her neighbors also became angry.
The smell of her apartment upset the tourists and annoyed the neighbors.
Many of her workers resigned because they were afraid of infection.
\"It is admirable to take care of small lives.
But you can\'t do that at the expense of the welfare of others, \"said a security guard nearby.
CPASA\'s Bell says some neighbors retaliate by breaking Lu\'s window.
They also threatened to kill the animals.
Lu held several talks with his neighbors, but the problem remained unresolved.
While the neighbors wanted the animals to disappear, Lu said there was no other place for them to go.
Lu said she had no choice because the animals were either sick or injured and needed special attention.
\"The neighbors don\'t understand and the security guards check my belongings to prevent me from smuggling animals into the building.
I was charged, humiliated, and attacked, but I was not worried.
\"I\'m strong,\" she said . \"
What worries her is the cost of running CSAPA. The 1,000-
In addition, animals consume about 300 kg of pet food every day, and spend up to 70,000 yuan a month.
Including medical expenses and employee salaries, the organization needs at least 150,000 yuan per month.
As there is always a shortage of member donations and donations, it is difficult for Lu to get enough money.
She has sold the furniture and cars and mortgaged the apartment. Lu lives alone.
Her husband died in 2004.
Her daughter and son moved to the United States. S. in the 1980s.
Her son is a programmer at an IT company in the United States and sends money to Lu every month.
He has done so since 1990.
\"In recent years my son has sent me $50,000 a year and I have spent all my money on animals.
I can\'t tell him I need more.
I am his mother and I feel heartache for my poor son.
But I can\'t stop what I \'ve been doing, \"she said.
Whenever an animal looks into my eyes as if begging for help, I have to help.
I will continue to save them as long as I am still breathing.
For Lou, the abandoned animals were as innocent as the children.
She remembers their names and stories.
\"Each of them has a sad story.
Lu pointed to a bitch named Yongchang.
Lou was pregnant when she found out.
The dog had only three legs and one of them was skinned.
\"This is clear evidence of cruelty.
\"China needs a law to punish people who abuse animals, otherwise cruelty will never end,\" she said . \".
Cases of animal abuse are not uncommon in China.
On 2006, an online video showed a woman stepping a cat to death. In 2002, a 22-year-
Old students from Tsinghua University threw sulfuric acid on bears at the Beijing Zoo.
Both cases have aroused strong public protests, but the abusive will not be punished under current Chinese laws.