Stray cats in the Shanghai Botanical Garden. (Picture from the Internet)
Stray cats in the Shanghai Botanical Garden. (Picture from the Internet)
Stray cats in the Shanghai Botanical Garden. (Picture from the Internet)
"Please spare the cats, Shanghai Botanical Garden announces: Kill one cat, get a 10-yuan reward!" Recently, this eye-catching post has gone viral on various forums. The Shanghai Botanical Garden is currently undergoing a three-month closed renovation, and the stray cats within the garden have drawn attention from cat lovers who are worried that they might starve or be killed by the staff due to lack of care. Yesterday, the Shanghai Botanical Garden clarified through its official website that there is absolutely no bounty for killing cats, and they will treat the stray cats kindly. They have already contacted the Shanghai Small Animal Protection Association to perform sterilization procedures on the stray cats.
By reporter Lian Qingqing
Recently, a post titled "Please spare the cats, Shanghai Botanical Garden announces: Kill one cat, get a 10-yuan reward!" was first posted on the forum "Pet Alliance" of the Shanghai Small Animal Protection Association website by a netizen named "vi-vianę”". It was then reposted by many netizens on websites like Mop, Sina, and Douban. The post claims, "The Shanghai Botanical Garden has recently started a three-month closure for renovation and has prohibited visitors from entering. There are nearly 40 stray cats living in the garden, according to incomplete statistics. These stray cats are fed by kind-hearted aunties and grandmothers from nearby neighborhoods, who bring their own cat food every morning, regardless of weather."
"Kill one cat, get a 10-yuan reward"
The post mentions that because the Shanghai Botanical Garden is now closed, the garden is strongly preventing the 'cat moms' from entering to feed the stray cats. The 'cat moms' can only sneak in through Gate No. 4. According to garden staff, by January next year, the botanical garden will be fully sealed off, and the cats inside will face a terrible disaster. They will either die of hunger (especially the newborn kittens) or be caught and killed by the garden's staff (such incidents have occurred multiple times). The leadership of the Shanghai Botanical Garden has announced to the staff: Kill one cat, get a 10-yuan reward!"
Netizens: "Please treat the stray cats kindly"
After the news of cat killings spread, it was harshly condemned by netizens as "cruel and inhumane." Many cat lovers gathered to call for kindness towards the cats. The reporter found that starting from the 14th of this month, dozens of netizens protested on the official website's message board of the Shanghai Botanical Garden, hoping to communicate with the management and properly handle the stray cats.
"Truly hope the rumor about the cat-killing incident at the Shanghai Botanical Garden is a misunderstanding. People and the beautiful cats coexisting harmoniously in the botanical garden have become a significant cultural landscape of the botanical garden. Please reconsider, leaders. For the stray cats, we can organize spaying/neutering for them. If the budget is insufficient, I believe there will be many people in society willing to support it." Alida's comment received agreement from many netizens.
Botanical Garden: Will appropriately control the cat population
Yesterday, the Shanghai Botanical Garden released a clarification on its official website, stating that "Rumors end with the wise." Director Hu Yonghong said he never made such a statement. The stray cats in the garden not only have not been harmed but also continue to have food to eat.
The Shanghai Botanical Garden stated that early on the 16th, after the director learned about the situation, he immediately consulted with other members of the garden's leadership team, and upon investigation, no one had given an order to kill the stray cats. The director himself works in the plant field and has respect for nature's creatures. "The existence of stray cats does not currently pose a threat to the construction work within the garden. The garden's previous attitude towards stray cats has always been to let nature take its course." The Shanghai Botanical Garden explained that the current number of stray cats in the garden is indeed too high and may affect the visitors' experience. To control their excessive reproduction, the garden has already contacted the Small Animal Protection Association and plans to adopt appropriate methods to control the breeding population.