Commuters in Chengdu are in for a surprise during their daily commute over the next few months. They are being shown Animals Asia’s  “Cat and Dog Welfare” film instead of the usual advertisements. In nine stations on Chengdu Metro lines seven and ten, 35 lightboxes have been showing the informational film since September, which will continue to run until the end of the year in an effort to educate citizens on being a responsible cat and dog guardian. 

The film features leading Chinese actress, pop singer, and devoted Animals Asia supporter, Karen Mok. She has released over 20 solo records, acted in over 40 movies, and has over 14 million followers on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. In the film she says, “Cats and dogs have their own feelings. Please be nice to cats and dogs and never hurt them.”

In addition to the film, the Chengdu Metro has also been displaying animal welfare posters with different themes. The posters highlight different aspects of responsible dog guardianship with messages like:

• Ask the dog’s guardian before you want to play with a dog.
• Clean up properly after your dog.
• Leash your dog when taking him for a walk.

Suki Deng, Animals Asia’s China Cat and Dog Welfare Director said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to spread some really important messages about cat and dog welfare to the public in Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan. It is one of the top three most populated cities in Western China. In all, about 20,000 commuters have the chance to see our advertisements every day and we’re lucky enough to be working with some excellent designers as well as the well-known actress and pop-singer, our friend Karen Mok. This project is a part of our year-round work to increase awareness of animal welfare issues in China.”

The posters drive home poignant messages that animals have feelings, too. One poster features a sad story of a little dog called Xiao Xiong who had a happy life with his guardian. One day there came bad news: his guardian changed her job and moved to another city. She had to say good bye to Xiao Xiong. She found a new home and a new guardian for Xiao Xiong. But this little dog did not get along well with his new family, so he became a stray dog. Xiao Xiong was sent to an animal shelter, but he failed to have another chance for adoption. As the days passed, Xiao Xiong was eventually euthanized. Nobody remembered him anymore. 

These colourful graphics and impactful messages are sure to make commuters take notice and spare a thought for the feelings of our furry friends.

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