Shanghai political advisers have called for including anti-animal abuse content into the city's guideline on comprehensive management of social order at the ongoing Two Sessions.

Liu Yibing, director of the scientific innovation department of Shanghai Media Group's media convergence center, and three other local CPPCC members, submitted a proposal in which they noted that the call for anti-animal abuse legislation is growing and attracting the attention of more and more legislators and political advisers during the national two sessions held last year.

"We hope that the law will be able to put a stop to animal abusers," Liu told Shanghai Daily. "Many psychologists believe that such people 'have a murderer living in their heads.'"

"But they don't abuse or kill people because of the restriction brought by laws. So if there is a law, they are likely to restrain themselves."

In recent years, there seems to be an increase in the number of stories on animal abuse. According to the examples cited in the proposal, in April 2020, a student at Shandong University of Technology had maltreated and killed 80 cats in two months using cruel methods such as flaying and burning, and had filmed videos of the process for sale.

Six months later, a man in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, sprayed boiled water on a pregnant cat, killing the cat and its four unborn babies.

In December, Wang Zhaowei, a teacher at the Zhejiang Police College in Hangzhou, claimed he had killed more than 300 animals and had held discussions online on how to kill them.

The proposal said the country currently lacks laws and regulations that can be used to punish those who abuse animals. Also, animal abuse behaviors often have a direct or indirect connection with violent crimes as well as the majority of non-violent crimes.

If such behaviors are observed by children, it will harm their mental well-being. And if a child's animal abuse is not stopped or corrected promptly, it can develop into character flaws as a result.

So political advisers have recommended tougher punishments, such as fines and detentions for animal abusers, a better management system for pets, such as licenses and electronic chips, increased government support for volunteers, and stricter oversight of pet breeding.