BEIJING – Police in China have detained a man accused of abusing and killing adopted dogs after the case triggered an online outcry and a running protest.
The 39-year-old was taken into custody, police in the south-western city of Chongqing said in a statement on the evening of June 10 that was widely shared online.
Police called on the public to “care for living creatures” and “together safeguard urban civility and social order”.
An earlier statement from local officials said three injured puppies were sent for treatment.
The incident has again prompted animal welfare advocates to call for China to pass a law to protect companion animals from abuse, a push that is at least a decade old.
China does not have a national law explicitly criminalising cruelty to animals even though pet ownership has taken off as the nation grows more wealthy and urban.
Pets are generally treated as personal property in China, which leaves police with no clear way to handle abuse cases.
The incident in Chongqing entered the public spotlight last week when neighbours filmed a man apparently abusing a dog on his balcony late at night, according to local media reports.
Animal welfare volunteers later went to his apartment building to confront him and found a severely injured puppy in the hallway.
A veterinary examination found the animal had multiple broken bones, a severed tail and teeth that had been ground flat, the report said. Neighbours told reporters they had seen the man abusing dogs in the past and called the police but said the authorities did not take action.
The incident sparked fury on social media, and more than 100 people gathered outside the man’s building to demand action from the authorities.
Police dispersed the crowd on June 9, with videos circulating online showing officers hitting and detaining some demonstrators.
The videos are no longer widely available online in China – a sign that censors may have stepped in – though versions do appear on foreign social media platforms.
A post by Teacher Li, a prominent overseas protest watcher with 2.2 million followers on X, said some demonstrators returned on June 10 and were detained.
The authorities put up fencing around the residential compound, along with a notice saying that construction was under way.
The episode came as Chongqing was preparing to host a global media forum that opened on June 10. BLOOMBERG