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Beijing adopts a one dog policy in fight against rabies

In an effort to eradicate rabies from the streets of Beijing, authorities announced a ?one dog? policy that allows household to own and keep no more than a single canine. The new order also bans certain breeds of large dogs and all dogs` entrance to public places. The restriction would apply to nine zones in Beijing.

Only three percent of the dogs in china are vaccinated against rabies, where the disease is on the rise. Rabies is dangerous to humans and could kill those infected. In china, death tolls from rabies amount to hundreds on an average month. Figures for 2004 show there were 2,651 reported deaths from the disease.

The new Chinese policy, though, was criticized by the Humane Society of the United States. The organization said the cause for rabies is not being addressed, and the regulations would not do much in affecting the scope of the disease. Previously, Chinese authorities have conducted mass killings of dogs, including 50,000 dogs executed in a county in Yunnan Province.