Biz Unusual

Pet cemetery popular in China

By Yu Hongyan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-01-14 16:06

As affection for their pets would not pass when their beloved animals pass away, some pet owners in China are turning to an animal cemetery to memorialize their late companions.

A Chongqing dog owner surnamed Liu spent 2,000 yuan ($297.40) for her puppy's cremation and burial, according to a report from the Chongqing Evening News in July 2010.

"I should take care of Pipi (the dog) as long as I am its master, be it alive or dead," Liu said.

The funeral service Liu purchased also included a farewell ceremony, a wreath and video recording.

Chongqing Sunshine Animal Hospital started offering services like these early in 2010.

A pet's ashes, placed in a "marvelous" bottle, will be buried under a tree in the wilderness with the pet's name tag on it, said Zhuang Zhihong, a veterinarian of the hospital. The cemetery will be valid for 5 to 10 years.

More than ten dog owners had ordered this service through July 2010, according to Zhuang.

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Similar services are also available in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenyang, but one notable service is offered in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

The only pet cemetery in Xi'an occupies ten mu (6,666.67 square meters), and is now the resting place for about 500 pets, according to Sanqin Daily.

Funeral expenses there range from 680 yuan to 3,680 yuan, varying in accordance with decoration. The cemetery's manager said one dog owner once spent 30,000 yuan for his pet's luxury funeral.

"There was also a pet owner who offered 100,000 yuan to have his pet's funeral ceremony the same as that for a human being," said the manager surnamed Wang. "But that is beyond our means, as we only currently offer simple ceremony services."

It is obvious that with the number of pets rising in China, the death of them also becomes a problem for many.

Not every one can afford a costly funeral service at a cemetery, and most pet owners choose to bury their passed pets by themselves -- most of time near their homes.

But experts say bacteria on pets can be harmful to humans and the environment, as well, and pet corpses with unusual death should be treated with great care. Pet bodies should be cremated, or buried three meters or more underground, or they may be pollutant to the environment or even poisonous to people. So far, China has no regulation or law relating to this matter, according to Sanqin Daily.