Outrage after corgi beaten to death with spade by covid worker in China

'I’m so furious it’s making me cry'

Footage that appears to show a corgi being beaten to death with a spade by a covid worker in China has sparked outrage online. In a clip originally shared on the Chinese social media app Weibo, the defenceless dog can be seen and heard squealing for help as a health worker in a hazmat suit repeatedly drops a spade onto the poor pup before it falls silent. Users on the app were disgusted by the video, with one person writing, “I’m so furious it’s making me cry” while another said, "we would rather coexist with a virus than with this vicious and perverted person."

Warning - distressing images ahead

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Credit: Weibo/Twitter[/caption] The disturbing video captured in Shanghai has since been covered by multiple outlets. According to China News Weekly, the dog's owner was quarantined at the time of the attack and had released his dog after he was unable to find a suitable home for it. He reportedly told the state media outlet, "In the end, I thought I could let [the corgi] loose outside to become a stray, at least it wouldn't starve to death. I never thought once we had left, it would be beaten to death." He went on to claim that the local neighbourhood committee had declined to help care for the dog over fears it could be carrying and spreading coronavirus; the organisation reportedly responded by saying: "At that time, the workers did not consider (the matter) very comprehensively. We will communicate with the owner and offer compensation later". Many have slammed the act as one of many examples of China's de facto zero-tolerance covid policy being taken way too far, with one commenter noting: “They were still promoting how you could isolate together with your pet last year – what changed?” Health and living conditions in many Chinese cities have now reached a fever pitch and this is not even the first time such an incident has occurred; it was only back in March that reports surfaced of cats and dogs being killed by locals and covid officials alike. Beyond animal welfare, stringent lockdown rules in Shanghai have now been extended to city-wide regulations, with recent footage showing drones and robots ordering people to stay indoors, keep windows shut and refrain from singing to reduce the possibility of transmission.