The Chinese just can't seem to get enough when it comes to tampering with goldfish. Who can forget the live goldfish keychains last spring or the goldfish whisperer's synchronized fish performance which can only be described as "magnetic"? Now these sprite little swimmers, viewed as tokens of wealth in Chinese culture, are being tattooed with symbols said to bestow fortune upon their masters. more ›

Shanghai Wildlife Park has promptly suspended the trainer caught on video beating and kicking a bear cub. According to the park, the trainer was "not a staff member with the park, but was with a circus team from neighboring Anhui Province, which provides shows to visitors under contract with the park. The bear was also brought by the circus team." more ›

Well that was fast. Just two days after we initially reported on it and only nine days after the measure was first announced in Jiangmen, last Friday authorities decided to relax their position on their controversial dog ban law. Surprisingly, it seems the Jiangmen government heeded residents' suggestions when drafting the changes: "Under the new rules, pet dogs will be banned from public places such as parks, squares and shopping malls. Residents who take dogs to public venues 'would be advised to leave.' And in the case of attacks, dog owners would be responsible for all medical bills, lost wages and other compensation, the report said." Compared to the old plan of killing illegal dogs on the spot, these rules seem almost humane. more ›

Jiangmen dog owners, this means you! You officially have until August 25th to figure out what to do with your dogs, as a 'special campaign' on pooches in Pengjiang (蓬江), Jianghai (江海) and Xinhui (新会) districts of Jiangmen city (江门市, a city of 3.8 million 102km [64 miles] south of Guangzhou) begins the following day, on the 26th of August. Afterwards, any dogs roaming in public without a license from their owner will be confiscated and put down. And if past campaigns in China are anything to go by, methods employed could be far from humane. more ›

The rescue of more than 500 dogs on their way to slaughter last week continues to cause controversy as experts estimate that caring for the many injured and diseased animals could exceed 10RMB million in the coming five years. That's on top of the 115,000RMB an animal protection organization paid to have the dogs freed last week. Leaving out medical costs for illness and injury afflicting almost every animal, vaccines alone cost 150RMB per head, not to mention spaying and neutering range from 250-500RMB. Thousands gathered online and in person to support the rescue last week, and many saw it as a step forward for animals rights in China. The important question now is whether there will be the necessary follow through, or will these animals simply end up dying at the pound instead of at the butcher? more ›

According to Global Times, the sale of small live-animal key chains is on the rise in China. Turtles and fish are being sealed up in airtight plastic containers and sold as trinkets to shoppers with growing popularity. Venders claim the water inside the pouch is nutrient-rich, and that the animals can live for a month or longer. Sadly, we've heard this total nonsense before. Back in 2008, Olympics paraphernalia hawkers delved into pocket-sized animal abuse as well. Worst of all, the practice remains completely legal in China. more ›

Remember during the CCTV Spring Festival Gala how one magician seemed to be able to control goldfish, moving them about a tank in single-file like they were his little fishy army? That guy - Fu Yandong 傅琰东- is now under fire from environmental and animal rights groups, who accuse him of animal cruelty. more ›

Many of you are probably already familiar with the live-feeding that goes on up at the Harbin Siberian Tiger Reserve. In case you aren't, visitors to the "breeding center" are allowed to select various animals for a sum, hop onto a modified van and drive around the enclosures as the freshly-bought animal is thrown to the tigers. Last time we were there (which was the previous winter) you could for 'round about a thousand kuai, choose a goat to get torn to shreds. more ›

We warned you a few years ago about buying those adorable baby bunnies from street vendors and flower markets around Shanghai (they are often doomed before you even get them home.) Now it looks like all of China has gone hare-crazy over the little guys and pet shops are scrambling to keep up with demand as the Year of the Rabbit approaches. But animal rights groups from China and abroad are issuing desperate pleas to Asians around the world to abstain as animal abuses mount. Dead bunnies have already started turning up in dumpsters and mailboxes across China. more ›

Two months after the release of a scathing report by Hong-Kong based Animals Asia covering the "barbaric" abuse of animals in safari parks and zoos across China, it looks like the proper authorities have finally taken some action. more ›

As living standards have risen, sections of the Chinese populace have become more picky about what should be determined as food. And of the animals hovering in the pet/food debate, it seems cats have struck a particular chord - enough, apparently, to warrant a documentary! more ›

A chef friend had warned about this after a less than stellar meal at one of Shanghai's restaurants. He had ordered lamb, but felt the meat the restaurant served was not only too small to come from a sheep, but it also didn't taste right. "Maybe it was cat instead," he offered. "That's crazy," I thought. I possibly thought wrong. more ›

We've mentioned that it's been a bad year for tigers thus far, ironic since it is The Year of The Tiger, but it seems like every other week just piles on more sad tiger preservation news. At least 11 Siberian tigers were found starved to death in a zoo in Shenyang, northeastern China. more ›

The fact that Heather Mills will be ice skating with a glued-in prosthesis is, as it turns out, only the second-biggest item of PETA-related news today. It has been revealed that everyone's favorite "animal rights organization" will be setting up shop here in Shanghai. In fact, says our sources, a photo shoot boycotting China's secondary fur trade has already occurred. more ›

Yesterday night, after enjoying a drink at one of our favorite pubs, we were strolling home along Fuxing Lu in the Luwan district. At one o' clock the streets were empty except for the odd beggar or 串-seller. It was then we noticed a middle aged man in a white shirt who seemed to be fiddling with something like a cage. As we came closer we saw that it was indeed a cage, about 30cm high and around 50cm long. Inside the cage, two small, live sparrows (or some similar kind of bird) were hung upside down from the wire ceiling. more ›

About 800 cats escaped the Guangdong dinner tables this weekend, as activists from Shanghai Animal Protection Association freed them from "cat dealers" in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. The animals had been locked in small bamboo cages, stacked in a truck, and were to be transported to Guangdong. According to an activist quoted in the Shanghai Daily, about 1500 cats were on the truck, but activists only managed to release around 800 of them. more ›

What would be your response if we were to pose the question, "what is better than a black bear and a white Siberian tiger sporting traditional sevillanas dresses, adorned with flowers and dancing a Spanish Flamenco under the bright lights of a ballroom platform, televised for all of the world to see?" Well, if you're like us, then kangaroo boxing and monkey-ostrich pair jousting may come to mind. But, now, it seems that some international group of party-poopers* known as "animal rights advocates" have deprived Shanghailanders of the one sure-fire joy of living in China: the Shanghai Animal Olympics has been canceled. more ›

Shanghaiist reader luckytaikonaut (probably not his or her real name), aware of our affinity for furry friends, sent in this report about a group of protesters, reportedly including Miss Shenzhen 2005, who effectively forced the city's Fangji Cat Meatball restaurant to shut down: more ›

Not that we were begging for yet another past-their-prime pop star to sing for us, but former Wings frontman Paul McCartney has made it very clear: He will not be playing any gigs in Shanghai -- or anywhere else in China -- any time soon. Why? Because people abuse animals in China, and government officials don't seem to care. more ›