Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, DRAGON, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig
January 23 marked the beginning of the year of the water dragon for all who celebrated the lunar new year. For many in Asia, this is perhaps the most celebrated day of the year. A highly anticipated year purely from the fact that it is the year of the water dragon. The Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. Interestingly, the dragon is the only ‘animal’ in the cycle that is a mythical creature and not a real animal at all. It is generally accepted and believed that the year in which one is born holds great significance in the person’s life. Your character traits, personality, temper, outlook on life, mindset and even your future partner depends on the year you were born and the animal which you have been inexplicably tied to. Essentially, many of these character traits can be tied into a very general understanding of these animals, or even subscribed to a popular belief of what these animals should be. For example, a person born in the year of an ox is a hard-worker, the snake year is a sly one, dogs and tigers are energetic and you can already make a guess about the pig year. Growing up in a Chinese household, my upbringing was fairly liberal and ‘westernised’, however, I could never escape that hold that the Chinese zodiac had on my life and how ingrained it was into my family, friends and society. I could never accept that there were only 12 character traits in millions of people, however, I will find myself unknowingly musing about certain similarities or coincidences.
That leaves a big question, if the dragon is a mythical creature, how does anyone know its true character? The dragon in Chinese myths and legends is always a symbol of power, strength and good luck. The dragon is able to control rainfall, hurricanes and floods and most importantly, the dragon is always the symbol of imperial power. The Chinese zodiac is also further defined by the elements, wood, fire, earth, water and metal. This year is the water dragon, the water is meant to cool or quench the fire in the dragon, leaving a dragon with virtually no flaws. Not only are the people born in the year of the water dragon going to be extremely lucky, it is also the most auspicious year for getting married, giving birth, moving house, changing jobs, settling down in jobs or basically making any life changing decision. It has always been at the back of my mind but I did not really how serious this impacted a developed country when the Singapore government had to build extra schools to accommodate the surge in ‘dragon babies’. This is for a country with one of the lowest birth/fertility rates in the world.
So we have reached the real point of this article. What does the lunar new year and the water dragon have to do with being a veterinarian. Like I said, the Chinese zodiac affects all aspects of life and mostly the more important decisions. Our pets are not free of this obligation. It is a real concern for many animal welfare groups in Asia how the trends and symbols of the lunar year affect the decisions of pet owners and hobbyists. What seemed to be a general observation by veterinarians and welfare/rescue groups have recently converted into some worrying trends. Especially when we are in the height of the years corresponding to domestic pets. 2011 was the year of the Rabbit and needless to say, the rabbit was the unfortunate victim of the trend.
The year started out with pet shops stocking up on rabbits of all breeds, with Flemish giants and Netherland Dwarfs on display as a novelty and sales of rabbits escalating, with buyers believing that rabbits will bring in good luck for the rabbit year. Welfare groups like HRSS (House Rabbit Society of Singapore) and the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) took pro-active action and together with the regulatory board in Singapore (the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority) managed to control and quell display of these prey animals. Despite this, the number of abandoned pet and pure-bred rabbits also reached an all-time high, especially toward the end of the rabbit year when the fad seems to be dying out. The HRSS rescued up to 150 abandoned rabbits (a 30 per cent increase in the year), some abandoned in hutches or in cages filled with food, some in plastic bags and some even reportedly seen cage up in rubbish dumps. The SPCA received 1200 abandoned rabbits despite media releases educating the public. Presumably, this is expected as well for the next few years when the novelty of owning these once trendy pets slowly wears off.
The second disturbing trend is the ‘spring cleaning’ of one’s house just before the lunar new year. The act of giving the house a good once over, throwing out the old and in with the new to welcome the new year. The SPCA takes in 600 animals a month and the number always increases during the festive season. Reports by other welfare groups include purebred dogs in good body condition tied up outside shelters or ‘released’ into parks and outdoor recreation areas. All animal welfare groups in Singapore have since tied up with the authorities to tighten control and policing of unlicensed animals. Other measures taken have been to promote actively responsible pet ownership, implementing fines and harsher penalties for animal abandonment and abuse, pushing for an age limit to own pets, especially pets like rabbits and rodents which are often novelty pets or gifts. In these instances, collaboration between the animal welfare groups, all veterinarians and the authorities is important to push the message across.
Finally, the dragon being a mythical creature, one would think should not impact the domestic pet. On the contrary, this is the year where it is even more important to usher in some good luck. Attention has been turned to more unusual and exotic pets that share the Chinese character ‘long’ with the dragon. Chameleons (bian se long), Dragon fish (long yu), Asian water dragons and even the Chinchilla (long mau) have been predicted as the new trend. In January 2012, director of the capital animal welfare association, Qin Xiaona in Beijing released a media statement discouraging the purchase and sale of these ‘trendy’ exotic pets. In Singapore, chinchillas (a furry rodent pet native to South America) are permitted to be kept as pets. However, the illegal pet trade is one to watch out for this year. The SPCA and the welfare groups have already jointly released statements in local media and social media pushing for responsible pet ownership so here’s hoping for a prosperous year for the movement.
It is not technically true that we only belong to 12 groups of animals. A more comprehensive look at the Chinese zodiac shows that to fully define your zodiac, one needs to know ones year of birth, hours of birth, month of birth, country of birth and ones animal sign. I am like many, not a fervent believer but would certainly think twice if any coincidences occur.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year, GONG XI FA CAI.
Best wishes for the new year from your ever traditional, autonomous, motivated by diligence, anxious and hopeful Earth Sheep.
CATHY CHAN