Dogsey

A small dog was killed by security staff at Meilan International Airport in Haikou, Hainan province, southern China, because it threatened air security after somehow escaping from its cage. With some reports claiming it was shot and others suggesting it was beaten to death, the incident has caused outrage among dog's owners and Chinese internet users.

A statement issued by the airport said the dog, a poodle called Ge Ge, “escaped while the cage was on the luggage carousel”, the door having become loose on the journey. It said she had to be shot dead for security reasons and it was done “in accordance with the emergency plans for an animal invasion at the airport” after Ge Ge apparently almost reached the taxiway just before a plane was due to land. Hainan Airlines said after viewing surveillance footage of the incident, it agreed with the airport's explanation.

However, there was no CCTV footage given with the statements and the dog's owner, 52-year-old Ni Bin claimed she had asked to see the footage directly after the incident but was refused. According to her daughter, they were eventually shown a 15-second clip showing staff chasing the dog in a storehouse but were told there was no surveillance outside the storehouse. Ms Ni, pointing out that the cage door was opened inwards and the straps unbroken, believes someone let Ge Ge out, possibly with the intention of stealing her. She refuses to believe that the 2kg poodle could break through the cage and is not convinced that Ge Ge was shot, claiming to have found other injuries.

The airport's vice-president is reported as saying staff should be better trained to catch pets and the company should have given Ms Bin a more immediate explanation of events, instead of making her wait for two days. Ms Bin says she is still waiting for a proper explanation as to the events surrounding the death of her dog.

Thousands of web users have condemned Ge Ge's killing, with photos of her bloody body, together with the cage, posted on a popular microblogging site. They have drawn attention to an incident involving a dog at Manchester Airport on December 17 where a whippet on the runway was responsible for delaying flights. The dog had been on a walk with its owners close to the airport and ran away. After being chased for 40 minutes by airport staff, it was returned to its owners.