Shanghai's 1st Animal Shelter Has Growing Pains

Jane Su never thought she would be in such a dilemma. The Singaporean businesswoman who manages the Shanghai's first animal shelter for cats and dogs said the shelter in Baoshan District has seen a rise in the number of incoming strays, but not enough people have adopted the pets since the shelter's opening in May 2009. Shanghai is estimated to have more than 100,000 stray cats and dogs. Many were once pets, but were abandoned by their owners.

Though animal lovers welcomed the shelter and keep bringing in more lost or abandoned pets, only five dogs have been adopted in the past three months, Su said. Shelter staff said most people probably don't know it exists, but at the same time, they worry that media exposure might trigger more people to leave their pets, exceeding their capacity to care for the animals. "I'm always struggling with the question of whether I should promote our shelter these days," Su says.

As a member of the non-profit Shanghai Small Animal Protection Association, Su devoted all her weekends in the past year to setting up the shelter, which can accommodate up to 40 animals at a time. It now has more than 20 dogs waiting to be adopted. Su said a different mindset between Chinese and foreigners may also be part of the reason few pets have been adopted. She said pet adoption is more accepted among foreigners. "We hope that more Chinese people will join us."

Source: english.eastday.com