There are news about international animal rights today.

The Chinese ministry of Agriculture let dogs and cats disappear from the "white list" of animals, bred for food.

The proposal specifically states that dogs are “companion animals,” and thus should not be grouped among livestock. Over the years, China’s black and gray markets for dog meat have drawn heavy criticism from conservationists and animal welfaer activists.

“The fact that dogs are no longer listed alongside traditional livestock and poultry is major social progress — it means the consumption of dog meat will lose its legality and legitimacy in the future,” said Sun Quanhui, senior scientific advisor at World Animal Protection, an international nonprofit.

Earlier this month, the southern city of Shenzhen prohibited the eating of cats and dogs, with violators facing penalties of up to 10 times the value of the animal consumed.

While Shenzhen was the first city in China to institute such a ban, people believe it won’t be the last.

It seems that there is hope for the treatment of animals - not only in China.

And as for me - I changed from a passionate meat eater since my childhood in a hunting comunity to a vegetarian during Covid-19-at-home cooking - I can only hope, that one of these days we at least believe in species-appropriate keeping of horses, cows, pigs or minks and all the other animals most of us still consider as food or fur.