Horrifying moment pandemic worker beats pet dog to death
WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Disturbing video has gone viral on Chinese social media showing a pandemic worker in the locked down city of Shanghai beating a dog to death.
The alarming incident occurred after the dog's owners were placed into quarantine after testing positive to Covid-19.
In the video, filmed from a nearby apartment, a pandemic worker wearing a hazmat suit can be seen chasing the dog before striking it several times on the roadside with what appears to be a spade.
The owners had left the dog outside in the community for local residents to care for after fearing it would starve to death if left in their Pudong home alone, the South China Morning Post reported.
A zoomed in photo shows the lifeless dog, a corgi, in a pool of blood as the worker leans on the spade.
The incident triggered a wave of anger on Chinese Twitter-like site Weibo, branding the incident "immoral" and "disgusting".
"Where is their humanity?" one person asked.
An unnamed official told state media the dog was killed over Covid transmission fears, a claim rejected by many Weibo users.
Discontent growing in Shanghai
The incident has only fuelled growing anger in the city with residents running low on food and drinking water. There is no end in sight for residents in lockdown who were initially told they would face restrictions for nine days.
On Saturday, the city reported more than 23,000 new Covid cases.
Pandemic workers, dubbed as 'Big White' thanks to their characteristic overalls, are facing increasing resistance from residents who have become fatigued with the nation's relentless and unwavering Covid-zero strategy.
Health authorities have pleaded with residents to stay the course, a message stemming from President Xi Jinping.
On Thursday, state run publication the Global Times, a nationalistic tabloid and Beijing mouthpiece, accused the West of a smear campaign over Shanghai's lockdown.
"What's puzzling is that why at this time Western forces are stepping up their smearing campaign against Shanghai's battle against the virus," it said.
"Maybe this has much to do with the fact that many Western countries have essentially surrendered to the virus, no matter what nice names they call it. "
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