Chinacouldbeabouttoscrapitsmandatoryquarantineperiodfor“lowrisk”petsenteringthecountry,atopgovernmentagencyhasrevealed.
Catsanddogsarrivingfromoverseashavetospendatleastsevendaysataninspectionfacilitytoundergoextensivetestsforrabiesandotherconditionsthatcouldcauseanepidemic.
However,animalsdeemed“lowrisk”couldinfuturebereleasedafterpassingasimpletestattheportofentry,theGeneralAdministrationofQualitySupervision,InspectionandQuarantinehastoldChinaDaily.
Itmeansinsteadofwaitingaweek,ownerscouldbereunitedwiththeirpetswithinanhourofarrival.
TheauthoritysaidthemovecouldbeincludedinrevisedquarantineregulationsandisinlinewithrecommendationsfromtheWorldOrganizationforAnimalHealth,anintergovernmentalorganization,onmethodsforpreventingthespreadofrabies.
TheproposedchangecomesatatimewhenChinaisseeingagrowingnumberofpetsarrivingfromoverseas.
Accordingtotheadministration,about8,000pets－onlycatsanddogsareallowedtobecarriedintoChinaaspets－werebroughtinbetweenJanuaryandNovember.HalfarrivedatairportsinBeijingandShanghai,whilethemajorsourcecountriesincludedtheUnitedStates,Canada,Italy,Russia,JapanandSouthKorea.
Underthecurrentregulations,passengerscanbringonedogorcatperentry,witheachanimalrequiredtobequarantinedforsevento30days.Theonlyexemptionsareforcertifiedworkingdogs,suchasguidedogs.
Atinspectionfacilities,veterinarianschecktheanimalsforconditionssuchasrabies,leishmaniasis(aninfectiousdiseasecausedbyparasitesthatcanbefatal),distemperandcaninehepatitis.
InAugust,officerswiththeBeijingEntry-ExitInspectionandQuarantineBureaufoundmorethan200ticksonabichonfrise,asmallbreedofdog,travelingwithaBritishtouristfromThailand.
ZhangAo,whoworksatthequarantineinspectionofficeatBeijingCapitalInternationalAirport,saidthenumberofpetsarrivingattheairporthasbeenincreasingforseveralyears.
“Duringpeakseasons,suchassummerholidays,wecanreceivesevenoreightdogsorcatsaday,”hesaid.
MostofthepeoplebringinginpetsareChinesestudentsreturningfromstudyingabroad,foreigndiplomatsandforeignerswhoarepermanentresidentsinChina,Zhangsaid.
Theairportquarantineinspectionofficerscheckallpetsonarrivalandsendthemtoanearbyholdingfacility.Forthosefoundtohaveseriousconditions,Zhangsaidthecitybureauwillusuallyadvisetheybereturnedtothecountryoforigin.
Mostpassengerscomplywillinglywiththequarantineregulations,butsomefinditdifficulttopartwiththeirpets,hesaid.“Someburstintotearsandbegusnottosendtheirpetsaway.Wehavetojusttryourbesttopersuadethem.”
HeadvisedpassengerstravelingtoChinatolookupthecountry’squarantinelawsandregulationsbeforebringingpets.
“We’vereceiveddifferenttypesofanimals,suchasbirds,tortoisesandlizards,whichareforbiddentobecarriedintothecountry,”hesaid.“Allofthemaresentback.”
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