Death by deaths

(image credit: www.dailymail.co.uk)

According to reports by People's Daily Online, Jian Zhicheng, the director of Xinwu Animal Protection and Education Centre in Taiwan has committed suicide after facing pressure by animal rights activists. They sent her threatening messages after it was revealed on a TV programme that she had to put 700 animals to sleep over the past two years.

Described by her colleagues as a kind-hearted and dedicated person, Jian helped nurse sick and stray animals back to health before finding them fur-ever homes. However, during a news report, she talked about the number of dogs she had to euthanise, which led to unkind comments left on the online post. Netizens called her a 'female butcher', amongst other names, which made her upset and increasingly pressured to provide a resolution for them.

On May 5, she was found by her husband and the police, after having injected herself with euthanasia drugs. A week later, she passed away in the hospital.

Most people are unaware that the capacity of animal shelters are limited, and the heat Jian received from the public reflected an ignorance of this. She has spent her life dedicated to saving as many animals as she can, and having to administer euthanasia to alleviate the overpopulation problem is no doubt a difficult task for her.

Animal euthanasia is also an issue in Singapore. According to an article by Asiaone, euthanasia rates have been decreasing—from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015, a total of 963 animals were put to sleep at the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), down from 1,068 the previous year—but these high numbers still prove that overpopulation is a glaring issue, and more can be done to educate everyone about it. One of the first steps we can do as paw-rents is to spay and neuter our furkids. We can also do our part by adopting, volunteering, or donating to animal shelters.

Of course, this incident has also showed how those working at animal shelters do not have it easy at all. Having to put numerous animals to sleep is painful and difficult for these professionals too, and yet, they often receive flak for doing so.