Trail of animal destruction leaves blogging dog lover with ‘heartache’; pet expert warns of ‘sickness, nerves, fear, defecation’ on unsafe travels

An internet user in China has exposed on social media that he found 62 pet carcasses on a 300-kilometre stretch of expressway after their owners tied them to the outside vehicles during the Chinese New Year travel rush.

In his viral video released on February 25, the blogger Wu Jiayou said he encountered the carcasses on the road while he was driving from Leshan in Sichuan province to Chongqing, southwestern China, according to a report by the Yangcheng Evening News.

About eight of the animals were dogs while the rest were cats, said Wu.

“They all looked like pet animals because they wore clothes and their hair was well groomed. I think they died of accidents during the transport due to the lack of care and protection from their owners,” Wu was quoted as saying.

He said his heart ached seeing the dead animals because he also has a pet dog, a Border Collie.

“Many pet owners just follow a recent trend of not putting their pets inside the vehicles, but hanging them outside,” said Wu.

An increasing number of people in mainland China drive home with their pets to celebrate the Chinese New Year this year.

Source: News - South China Morning Post