Over 60 animal rights activists in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province blocked a vehicle believed to be illegally transporting 233 dogs near a highway toll station on Tuesday, the second such incident this year.
An official from the local animal supervision bureau told the Global Times Tuesday that the dogs were transferred to a temporary shelter provided by the local government to monitor their health.
"We found more than 10 dogs cramped in a narrow cage meant for four chickens. Some dogs had died and others gave birth in the cage," a n animal rights activist surnamed Cao told the Global Times.
Some volunteers considered the drivers dog dealers but the male driver said they're into the transportation business. Local official confirmed that the truck driver did not have a license to transport the dogs.
Video which went viral showed the driver's wife stabbing her right leg with a knife.
The driver said his wife was emotional because volunteers blocked them for over 10 hours. But an animal rights activist, who requested anonymity, said the couple should be condemned for illegally transporting dogs.
The incident has triggered lively discussions on dog protection. Some netizens on Sina Weibo said that the action taken by the activists was extreme. Some others said they could understand that it is a business, albeit illegal, while others said that related authorities should strengthen regulations on transporting dogs.
A similar incident happened in April, when over 20 dog lovers in Xi'an stopped a vehicle transporting 153 dogs. The driver later agreed to surrender the dogs to the dog rights activists after three hours of negotiations.
