Live streamed video of a German shepherd being forced to eat a bowl of red chilies is the latest disturbing trend that social media has started.
Namely, several pet owners in China have been sharing videos of their pets eating or being forced to eat large portions of human food.
This happened after the Chinese government tried to cease the public posting online binge-eating shows and celebrities and deal with the immense food waste happening because of it.
The sad footage shows the sweet German shepherd streaming tears while consuming a bowl of chilies. His owner said about the video that ‘he’s enjoying it very much’.
Cruel & Abusive towards Animals Is Becoming Popular?
Other videos in similar fashion encouraging animal abuse show a pet owner forcibly popping candy down the throat of a husky and two other dogs being forced to eat 38 different types of human snacks to fulfill a ‘food challenge’!
This cruel content has amassed quite the audience on the Chinese platforms for video sharing like Douyin. It happens amidst the popularity of a trend known as Chibo or Mukbang videos-an online phenomenon which started in South Korea.
These streams showed users consuming large amounts of food and communicating with their audience. The president Xi Jinping therefore launched an ‘operation empty plate’ in August which advocated against food waste as a reaction to this trend.
China has banned the sharing of this type of content so it resulted in the pet trend. These videos too have stirred a major outrage online and users have been urging authorities to close down the trend.
One user on Twitter wrote that ‘this shouldn’t be tolerated; certain animals are accustomed genetically to certain foods. But, to force an animal to abuse itself is WRONG!’
Another asked ‘what is wrong with you people?’
After the widespread criticism he received on the video, the owner of the German shepherd removed the video. He said that he knew that these spicy peppers were bad for the dog, but it ‘really enjoyed eating it’, wrote the Chinese media.
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