Tourists saved from eating mans best friend in China

If you always wanted to visit China but worried you'd end up eating cats and dogs, you can breathe a sigh of relief as the government is set to ban them from menus across the country.

According to a report in The Times this week, new legislation will mean that anyone caught eating cat or dog meat will face a fine equivalent to £450 and up to 15 days in prison.

Advertised locally as 'fragrant meat', dog has long been considered a delicacy across China - but it turns the stomachs of tourists from the west who would rather walk a dog than eat it.

The Chinese consider dog meat, which is high in protein and fat, to have certain health benefits, including boosting male virility. But tourists who feared they could end up eating it by mistake should not have worried - it is so expensive in China it would only be served by special request.

It is also a popular misconception that the Chinese catch stray dogs in the street and stick them in the pot. The animals that end up on the table are bred on special farms across the country, for their fur as well as for their meat.

The new bill, expected to become law this spring, has been designed to prevent animal abuse and includes cats as well as dogs, which are often transported from breeding farms in tiny cages to markets around the country.

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