SuppliedWhen videos showing the horrific killing of a stray dog and her puppies sparked outrage on the Chinese internet in June, Beijing’s censorship machine kicked into action.
But what was unusual this time was that it pitted the shocked and angry voices against authorities who said they were concerned about the four boys involved, all of them younger than 14.
China’s Communist Party regime tightly controls media and the internet to suppress criticism of the state and to manage public anger. But in this case authorities cited the age of the boys as they urged people to withhold their comments and scrubbed social media posts about the incident.
“We urge the public not to disseminate related information, to reject cyberbullying, and to work together to create a good environment for the growth of minors,” reads an official statement.
In China, posts about the incident are still drawing thousands of comments across social media, three weeks after the incident. There is shock, anger and sorrow, as well as demands for laws against animal cruelty, which China currently does not have.
Disturbing footage showing the boys in the city of Jieyang, Guangdong province, hitting three puppies with sticks before setting their mother on fire emerged online at the end of June. The boys were seen laughing as the dog, named Wang Wang, burned.
Jieyang authorities said last month that the boys would not face criminal charges and would instead be sent to a “specialised school”, but did not elaborate.
Some reports suggest the boys filmed themselves and uploaded the video online, but police have not commented on that. Censors have tried to block the video to protect the boys’ identity, although some people argue that it should stay.
Their identities have not been revealed, but snippets of the video with their faces visible continue to circulate online. There are also unverified posts claiming to be close-ups of the boys’ faces, raising the risk of other children being wrongly identified.
Getty ImagesCountries around the world restrict information about child offenders or set a high bar for identifying them.
For instance, media coverage and public access to juvenile court documents are often restricted to minimise psychological harm caused by undue publicity.
In this case, Chinese authorities have not completely banned the discussion – keywords such as “Wang Wang” and “animal protection” still come up as trending search terms. Many are still posting about it, and even raising awareness offline.
Still, users have also reported that their posts have been removed, or their ability to share others’ posts has been restricted. It is hard to say if the deleted or restricted content had named or identified any of the four boys. Officials have not said anything more on the matter.
Posts by several celebrities, including Chinese actor Du Jiang and Taiwanese actress Joe Chen, who had called for China to strengthen protection for animals also disappeared. But it’s unclear if these were taken down by the celebrities themselves.
Chinese users have refused to back down though, with some turning to advocates abroad to air Wang Wang’s plight.
It is hard to say why this, of all the sensitive issues that are censored in China, has galvanised such pushback.
Part of the reason could be that it’s the latest in a string of animal abuse cases that have made headlines recently. And the footage seems to have had a visceral impact. Animal lover PL tells BBC Chinese she found it “affecting in a particularly severe way”.
“We can’t make our voices heard, so many people [outside China] are actively helping us to share this message,” the woman in eastern China says.
The International Organisation for Animal Protection based in Italy says it has received more than 100 reports from people across the world, calling for the organisation to intervene. It added that it had sought more information from Chinese authorities.
SuppliedIn New York City’s Times Square, one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world, photographs of Wang Wang come up on a gigantic digital screen every 35 minutes.
One of the captions reads: “She was loved. She wanted to live. She should still be here.” Similar billboards have been put up on a building near Taipei 101, an iconic 101-floor skyscraper in Taiwan. This one includes a picture of Wang Wang nursing her puppies. “This planet is their home too. Justice for Wang Wang,” the caption reads.
CK, a Taiwanese woman who spent NT$30,000 ($930; £692) putting up the billboard, says she hopes it can foster “a sense of unity”.
“It makes everyone feel like we’re speaking out together on this issue, rather than airing our individual opinions online,” she tells BBC Chinese. CK has also set up accounts on platforms like Reddit and X to share the animals’ plight.
“The world need to know about the cruelty these dogs have been subject to,” CK says, adding that she couldn’t sleep or eat properly for days after seeing a clip of the brutal killing.
Elara, another Taiwanese woman, used AI to translate a summary of the incident into more than 10 languages, such as Japanese, Portuguese and Russian, which have been circulated online.
Residents in Hong Kong and Macau have raised funds to put up posters on buses and trains.
Within mainland China, the debate continues, with much of the conversation centred around creating awareness to demand laws against animal cruelty.
A striking cartoon of Wang Wang and her puppies caught the eye of many football fans during a domestic game at a stadium in Dalian on Saturday. “Every life deserves respect and kindness,” read the cartoon that was displayed on a huge screen before the game.
Homegrown businesses, such as beauty brand Amortals and streetwear label Wah Yan Ching Nin, have also placed ads outside shopping malls across the country, calling for an end to animal abuse.
Stickers and car decals featuring Wang Wang and her puppies have also been put up for sale on China’s largest e-commerce platform Taobao.
And people have continued to rally online.
“Let’s keep posting. Don’t let the heat of discussion cool down,” reads a comment on Weibo.
“Constantly speaking up does not mean disturbing social order. [We’re doing this] to let more people see it and realise it’s such an important thing that we do not mistreat animals,” reads another.
