Extensive Reading Lesson 9

反虐待动物法建议稿禁止动物园以饥饿虐待动物

昨日，《反虐待动物法》（建议稿）向社会公布，相比去年9月公布的《动物保护法》（建议稿），新增禁止在动物园以饥饿方式虐待动物，禁止在未成年人面前扑杀动物等条款。起草小组负责人常纪文表示，建议稿将于下周送交全国人大常委会。

去年9月，《动物保护法》（建议稿）公布，并向社会征求建议。中国社会科学院法学研究所社会法研究室主任、起草小组负责人常纪文介绍，截至2010年1月中旬，起草小组共收到建议700多条。

《动物保护法》中有关虐待动物将被追究刑责，禁止组织动物咬斗、残杀活动等条款被保留。常纪文说，针对近期发生在沈阳的东北虎饿死事件，新增禁止在动物园以饥饿方式虐待动物；并禁止在未成年人面前扑杀动物等条款。

针对社会上食用猫、犬引发矛盾现象，建议稿采取了各地根据本地风俗情况来灵活处理方法。

New Law for Animal Protection

The proposed Anti-Cruelty Law was published yesterday. New clauses were added to the draft of the Animal Protection Law that came out last September, including forbidding animal abuse by starvation in zoos and animal slaughter in the presence of the underage. Chang Jiwen, the principal drafter of the new law says the proposal manuscript will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress next week.

Since its proposal last September, the draft of the Animal Protection Law has collected more than 700 pieces of advice by mid-January 2010, said Chang, who is also the director of the Social Law Office in the Law Institution of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Some clauses in the draft, including ones that criminalize abusing animals and provoking animals to fight against each other, are preserved. Chang also said that in response to the accident that happened to the Siberian tigers dying of hunger in Shenyang, new clauses were introduced to prohibit animal abuse by starvation in zoos and killing animals in the presence of the underage.

Regarding the eating of cats and dogs in parts of China, the proposed law deals with it flexibly according to local situations.

(China.org.cn translated by Wu Yikun March 19, 2010)