Pets can rest in peace

By Venus Lee
The market for pet funerals and interments is expanding with the approach of Tomb-sweeping Day, when people visit their loved one’s grave to pay respect.

Wang Huihong, a retiree in Nongzhanguan Nan Li community, did not know how to lay her pet dog to rest until she decided to hold a funeral for the animal last weekend.

“Some of my neighbors secretly buried their pets in a bush near te park at night, but I was afraid leaving the body in a garbage can would have a negative effect on the environment. Pet cemeteries provide an appropriate and decent way to deal with dead pets,” the 64-year-old said.

According to the China Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA), there are over one million pets in the city, although only 550,000 of these are registered. Every year 80,000 to 90,000 pets die, of which a small fraction are cremated.

Lu Di, the CSAPA director, said that after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, people began to realize the hazards of casually disposing of dead pets. Thus, more and more people have sought pet funeral services.

Lin Degui, president of the China Agricultural University Pet’s Hospital, said the body of a dead animal contains many bacteris that can cause human and animal infection if not properly discarded. “A bacteria can survive for another year in the dead animal’s bone marrow, while bacter spores can last a number of years and can contaminate water sources,” he said.

“For example, once a woman gets infected by oxo, a parasite that dead cats usually carry, she will become susceptible to miscarriages or may become infertile.”

Pet’s Paradise Cemetery is one of the places that provide pet cremation and interment services. Cremationcosts 300 to 600 yuan, depending on the animal’s size; an urn, which holds the ashes, requires a deposit of 100 to 200 yuan per year.

The price of a pet coffin ranges from 500 to 1,000 yuan, depending on its size and material. For 500 yuan, pet owners can choose to adopt a tree, beside which their pet’s urn will be buried.  

Below are several other places that provide pet funeral and interment services:
Chongwu Tiantang
Where: Baifucun Dong, Changping District
Tel: 6077 1455, 6227 4045
Boai Pet Service Center
Where: Northeast of Xidian Village, Machikou Town, Changping District
Tel: 6075 1033, 6486 0318
IGO Pet Club
Where: Southwest of Dadenggezhuang, Songzhung Town, Tongzhou District
Tel: 8476 3451