On the shores of the Long Lake in Jingzhou, the base of Stray Animals Protection Center is built in an inconspicuous enclosed area. Nearly 200 animals are sheltered here, either being cured or under recovery. Among them are around 160 dogs and 20 cats. According to Qin Li, the founder of this center, most of the animals here were run over by cars with broken bones. Others were abandoned after infected with diseases or bred in disorder.
While only 3 staff members officially manage daily affairs in the base, many citizens volunteer here, including white collars, old ladies, and elementary students.
Babysitting these little patients is not a simple task for the volunteers. They have to do everything—cleaning and disinfecting the doghouse, vaccinating, sterilizing. feeding, etc.—except tasks that could only be completed by vets.
The fee for treatment and recovery is inevitably high. Donations from dog-lovers and volunteer help pay for the center’s daily expenditures. 71-year-old Fanglan Feng is one of the center’s funders. Every month she donates 1800 yuan out of her pension to help rescue stray animals. Now there have been over 100 funders like Feng.
Qin Li publicly publish the expenses for every rescued animal on online platforms such as Weibo and WeChat. The volunteers in her WeChat group help her search for stray animals that need to be rescued. They call Li “Mother Du,” a name inspired by her pet dog Dudu, who has acccompanied her for 16 years.
On a summer night in 2015, Li was taking a walk when she found a bleeding dog. She spent more than 1000 yuan to save the dog and took care of him for 3 months. This experience inspired her desire to help rescue stray animals. She then gathered many dog-lovers to establish a volunteer coalition, and raised money to build the center.
Last May, Li’s volunteer coalition rescued 800 pet cats who were previously stolen and sold illegally in June 2016. Most of these cats eventually found their new homes through the subsequent adoption activities.
Not long ago, Jingzhou Stray Animals Protection Center was authorized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It has become the second authorized stray animals protection organization in the whole province.
In 3 years, Qin Li and the volunteers in the center have rescued over 1500 animals. Li calls for the public to care for homeless dogs and cats and respect each small animal. Every single act of kindness helps advance a city’s culture.
Info and photos from hbtv: http://news.hbtv.com.cn/p/1318287.html
Translated by Victor Du, edited by Riley Peng @ Animal Dialogue
