Action star Jackie Chan urges China to 'have a heart for dogs'

Thu Aug 31, 9:50 AM ET

BEIJING (AFP) - Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan has urged China to "have a heart for dogs" after thousands of the animals were killed to fight rabies outbreaks, the animal rights group PETA said.

Chan has teamed up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) , the world's largest animal rights organization, to stop the mass culling of dogs to fight a disease that can easily be prevented with vaccinations.

The kung fu movie hero has created a unique greeting card that will be auctioned off on eBay starting

Thursday to benefit PETA Asia-Pacific's humane rabies control campaign, the group said in a press release.
Shaped like a heart, the handmade card features the Chinese characters for "love" and "respect" along with the actors signature.

It also carries the inscription: "Of course it is our duty as human beings to love and respect each other. But that obligation extends to our animal friends as well. They are just as deserving of our care and kindness."

Chan is an icon of popular culture, not only in Hong Kong but in China.

"With Jackies help, we hope to make dog culling a thing of the past," says PETA Asia-Pacific Director Jason Baker. "Humane rabies prevention programs not only save dogs lives, they also save human lives."

Meanwhile PETA representatives have met with Chinese government officials in the wake of the mass slaughter and provided them with posters and guidelines for humane methods of rabies control.

With an increase in the number of people raising dogs, rabies has emerged in recent weeks as a top public health priority, as more people have contracted rabies from dog bites.

Although people are supposed to vaccinate their dogs and register them, many families, especially in the countryside, violate the regulations partly because they do not want to pay vaccination or registration costs.
News of plans by authorities in the eastern province of Shandong to kill up to half a million dogs, following the death of 16 people from rabies in the past eight months, made headlines worldwide.

One county in southwest Yunnan province earlier in August ordered more than 50,000 dogs killed after rabies led to the deaths of three people.