[Commentary] On July 3, actor Wang Luodan issued a document saying that a colleague's pet duck was carried away by a woman, causing netizens' attention. Soon after, Wang Luodan issued a document again, saying that the person had been found and the duck was gone. So, what are the legal risks of eating others' pets? What are the penalties for being held accountable? On July 3, the legal profession responded to this.

  [Commentary] According to reports, the nature of pets in Chinese law is property, and pets with owners are the personal property of others. If you take away or even eat other people’s pets without informing the owner, it will infringe on the property rights of others. In this regard, the pet owner can defend rights from the following perspectives.

  【Same period】Legal practitioner Guo Xiaoming

  Pet owners can defend their rights from the following angles: requesting the return of pets, compensating for damages, and causing damage to pets, but also bear the cost of treatment, if they cause the death of other people’s pets, in addition to compensation costs, the owner can also request compensation for mental damages.

  [Commentary] Some netizens said that this duck was suspected to be the Cole Duck. The reporter searched several online shopping platforms and found that the Cole Duck was expensive. In this regard, Guo Xiaoming said that if the pet is of greater value, depending on the specific situation, the person carrying the pet may also be involved in a criminal offense, and if it causes serious consequences, it can be sentenced to 3 to 7 years in prison.

  【Same period】Legal practitioner Guo Xiaoming

  For example, if someone deliberately eats or kills someone else’s pet, and the value of the pet reaches more than 5,000 yuan, it is possible to commit crimes of deliberate destruction of property and may be sentenced to less than 3 years in prison, detention, or fines; the amount is huge Or there are other particularly serious circumstances, such as the mental disorder of others caused by the killing of pets, the extremely cruel and bad means, etc., and can also be sentenced to 3 to 7 years in prison; if it is to vent emotions, casually harm others' pets, such as seen on the road A dog can be beaten, and a pet worth more than 2,000 yuan may be suspected of provoking trouble and may be sentenced to less than 5 years in prison, detention or regulation.

  [Explanation] Afterwards, Wang Luodan issued a document saying, "No covetment, no harm, no consumption of other people's pets is a respect that people deserve in this society!". Regarding this incident, legal professionals also made suggestions.

  【Same period】Legal practitioner Guo Xiaoming

  First, take care of your pets when you go out. If the pets cause harm to others or property damage, the owner should be liable for compensation. Second, don’t take away or even hurt or eat other people’s pets. The loss of money is small. If you are suspected of committing a crime, you have to bear criminal responsibility. Third, when you find a pet lost by others, you must not take it as your own. You can help find the owner or ask the police for help.

  [Explanation] It is understood that in response to this incident, the relevant person in charge of the local propaganda department said that the public security has intervened in the investigation and will handle it properly.

  Reporter Shan Lu from Beijing

Editor in charge: [Lu Yan]