DATA SHOW THAT the number of pets in China reached 250 million in 2017. However, there is no legal clause about what to do with their bodies when they die. Beijing News comments:

According to media reports, some owners contact pet hospitals for help, while some simply dig a deep hole in an open field and bury them. In the first case, the hospitals might lack proper devices to deal with the remains of the animals. In the second case, the bodies might pollute underground water.

In some cities, there are also companies running graveyards for pets. But there is no legal clause about this new business, so when disputes arise, it is hard to deal with them according to the law.

Currently, the only law that concerns the dead bodies of animals is the Animal Quarantine Law, which details what to do with the bodies of animals that were sick. However, the law says nothing about the bodies of pets that die a natural death.

In comparison, some developed countries have detailed legal clauses about disposing of the bodies of pets. In France and Singapore, the law requires the bodies of pets be cremated after they die; in the United Kingdom, there are over 320 pet cremation companies providing such services. In Japan, there are similar businesses.

It is time China improved its own legislation to close this loophole.