Papi: Pet poisoning incident in Changyiyuan Community, Chaoyang, Beijing

In September 2022, multiple pet dogs in Changyiyuan Community, Chaoyang District, Beijing were poisoned one after another. The 13-year-old West Highland dog Papi died after being rescued. Public reports show that the man involved in the case dropped highly toxic substances in a public area of ​​the community and was later sentenced to four years in prison for the crime of dropping dangerous substances. This case is one of the few public animal injury incidents in China in which the victim continued to defend his rights and ultimately promoted the implementation of criminal liability; however, it did not rely on a specific anti-animal cruelty law, but the "crime of releasing dangerous substances" in the sense of public safety.

An old dog named Papi

Papi is a West Highland White Terrier. In public reports, its owner is sometimes referred to as Ms. Li, Li Qing, or Penny; these titles refer to the same owner who has long advocated for Papi. Papi was only two months old when he was brought home and was 13 years old when he left. To many onlookers, 13 is just a number; to its owner, it is a period of life from the 20s to the 30s.

It accompanies people to grow up and grows old. It is not a price in a legal document, nor is it a symbol in a news headline. It walks, interacts with people, and leaves scents, toys, and habits in the home. Precisely because it was once so concrete, subsequent death should not be brushed aside with the phrase "just a pet."

The Beijing News' "Peeling the Onion" records that in the three years after Papi's death, the owner Penny devoted a lot of energy to promoting the progress of the case, and the trajectory of his life changed as a result. She quit her stable job, studied law, contacted the owners of the injured dogs, compiled materials, and continued to speak out on public platforms. She was questioned and encouraged, but she never let the matter go from her memory.

Disposal of highly toxic substances in public areas

On September 13, 2022, many owners in Changyiyuan Community, Shoukai, Chaoyang District, Beijing discovered that their pet dogs had symptoms of poisoning, and dogs died one after another. The Beijing News reported that Papi died on September 14 after rescue efforts failed; a few days later, Zhang, a 65-year-old male owner of the same community, was taken away by the police.

Public reports show that the poison involved is highly toxic chemicals such as fluoroacetic acid or sodium fluoroacetate. The Beijing News report mentioned that during the trial, the prosecutor stated that sodium fluoroacetate was detected in the autopsies of five dead pet dogs; a follow-up report on the China Youth Daily client stated that Zhang Mouhua was arrested by the police for allegedly dropping dangerous substances at multiple points in the community.

What is horrifying about this type of behavior is not only that it kills animals, but also that it occurs in public spaces where people walk, children play, and neighbors pass by on a daily basis. The release of highly toxic substances does not just target a certain animal. It leaves uncontrollable dangers on the ground, in the grass and on the roadside. It allows innocent animals to bear the most direct pain on behalf of people, and also pushes public safety to the edge of danger.

Regarding source differences in the number of victims

There are slight differences in the number of injured animals in different reports. The Beijing News reported in 2024 that an owner of Changyiyuan Community spread toxic substances in the community, causing the death of 9 pet dogs and 2 stray cats, causing panic among the owners of the community. Subsequent reports such as China Youth Daily and Jimu News mostly used "11 pet dogs were poisoned and 9 of them died" as the main description of the case.

When this website officially established its archives, it used "11 pet dogs were poisoned and 9 died" as the main statement in the follow-up reports of the court trial. At the same time, it retained in the text the information that earlier reports mentioned "two stray cats died". This is done not to expand the numbers, but to allow the source differences themselves to be seen and to prevent stray animals that may have also died from poisoning from disappearing from the records.

Rare rights protection success, and animal protection laws still absent

Among the animal harm incidents that have been publicized in China in recent years, Papi’s case is particularly special. After many animals have been poisoned, abused or abandoned, the injured parties often stop at reporting to the police, raising their voices on the Internet, or making civil claims. It is even difficult to retain a stable chain of evidence. Papi's case eventually went into criminal prosecution and resulted in an effective sentence of four years in prison, which is unusual for similar cases.

But this "success" is not because China already has complete anti-animal cruelty laws. Public reports show that the court is pursuing criminal liability for releasing highly toxic substances that endanger public safety. In other words, the death of Papi and other victim dogs was seen by the judicial system largely because the poisoning occurred in a common area of ​​the community, and highly toxic substances may endanger unspecified people and property.

This does not diminish the significance of the case, but rather illustrates why it deserves to be recorded: Papi’s owner and other victim dog owners used a long process to defend their rights, pushing a tragedy that could easily be downplayed as a “pet dispute” to a criminal trial; at the same time, the suffering of the victim animal itself and the real loss in the partnership still lacked more direct and complete legal recognition.

Criminal prosecution and long wait

After the incident, the Chaoyang District People's Procuratorate prosecuted Zhang Moumou on suspicion of releasing dangerous substances. The Beijing News reported that the case was heard in the Chaoyang District People's Court of Beijing on October 26, 2023. After the trial lasted for more than 6 hours, it was announced that a day would be set for the verdict, and it was postponed many times.

On December 11, 2025, the first instance of a criminal prosecution case involving pet dog poisoning in Beijing was pronounced. The China Youth Daily client reported that the defendant Zhang Mouhua committed the crime of releasing dangerous substances and was sentenced to four years in prison. The report also wrote that the case lasted three years and two months and attracted attention because Ms. Li, the owner of the murdered West Highland dog Papi, continued to speak out.

Jimu News reported in April 2026 that the first-instance judgment on the criminal part later came into effect; the second-instance judgment on the criminal and civil part was pronounced in the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People's Court, and the civil part of the second-instance judgment was upheld. Papi's owners continue to focus on the actual enforcement of the criminal part, and continue to discuss the value of the victim dog, compensation for emotional distress and whether the trauma of the companion animal's death can be seen by the law.

Not "a dog is just a dog"

The harshest and most frequently heard sentence surrounding the Papi case is: "Isn't it just a dog?" This sentence may seem frivolous, but in fact it simultaneously downplays the animal's suffering, the loss of its owner, and the dangers in public spaces.

To Papi, poisoning is not an abstract word. According to public reports, Papi left after nearly ten hours of rescue. It does not know why it is in pain, nor can it understand why a person would spread poison wherever it might pass. It was just hit by poison in daily life, and like other victimized dogs, it took on malice that should not be borne by any living being.

To its owner, Papi is not replaceable property. Its toys, clothes, photos, and daily actions all form part of a long-term relationship. How the law evaluates this relationship is a question that is still changing; but society can at least admit that this kind of pain is real and should not be ridiculed, nor should it be erased with the phrase "not of high value."

The significance of this case

The Papi case is brought up again and again because it brings to the public’s attention many gaps in the protection of companion animals in China: how poisoning is criminalized, how highly toxic substances are circulated, how safety is ensured in public areas, and how the emotional trauma suffered by owners is dealt with when animals have long been regarded as property in the law.

This is not to pit humans and animals against each other. On the contrary, poisoning public areas harms animals and may also harm children, the elderly and everyone who passes through there. Criticism of cruel poisoning is not only out of affection for pets, but also to safeguard public safety and basic conscience.

Papi can't come back. It left with it a number of poisoned dogs, as well as stray cats mentioned in early reports. The purpose of recording this incident is to allow these lives to be seen, and also to allow the behavior of "using poison to solve the dislike of animals" to be clearly named, examined and denied.

timeline

• Circa 2010：Papi was taken home by her owner and became a long-term West Highland dog companion to the family.
• September 13, 2022：Many pet dogs in Changyiyuan Community, Chaoyang District, Beijing showed symptoms of poisoning, and some dogs died one after another.
• September 14, 2022：Papi died after resuscitation failed. In public reports, the owner recalled his painful death.
• After September 2022：The police investigated and took away Zhang, a male owner of the same community. Subsequent reports showed that the poison involved was highly toxic substances such as fluoroacetic acid or sodium fluoroacetate.
• October 26, 2023：The criminal incidental civil lawsuit was heard in the Chaoyang District People's Court of Beijing, and was postponed several times.
• December 11, 2025：The first instance of a criminal prosecution case involving pet dog poisoning in Beijing was pronounced. The defendant Zhang Mouhua was sentenced to four years in prison for the crime of releasing dangerous substances.
• Around December 30, 2025：Public reports show that the first-instance judgment on the criminal part has taken effect.
• April 16, 2026：The second instance verdict was pronounced on the criminal part with the civil part, and the original judgment was upheld on the civil part. The Papi owner said it would continue to focus on the actual enforcement of the criminal part.

open source

• Beijing News: "How to determine crime and punishment in cases of poisoning pet dogs?" 》。Provide information such as the community where the crime occurred, the poisoning process, Papi's identity, sodium fluoroacetate testing, and court hearing statements. https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1727174282168165.html
• Beijing News "Peeling the Onion": "Fighting for a Puppy"。Documenting Papi’s owner Penny’s three-year rights protection process, case extension, victim dog owner group, Papi’s funeral, etc. https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1761810483129106.html
• China Youth Daily Client: "The first criminal prosecution case of pet dog poisoning in Beijing was pronounced"。Provide the verdict results of the first instance, the defendant Zhang Mouhua, the duration of the case, and pictures of the scene outside the court. https://m.cyol.com/gb/articles/2025-12/11/content_77RBpEFeEY.html
• Jimu News: "The second trial of "Beijing's first pet poisoning criminal prosecution case" upheld the original verdict"。Provided that the criminal part took effect, the civil second instance upheld the original verdict and the subsequent statement of Papi’s owner. https://www.ctdsb.net/c1716_202604/2716279.html
• Economic Observer Network: "When a dog named Papi was poisoned"。Supplement the background of Papi’s owner’s long-term rights protection, the entry into force of the criminal part of the case, and legal discussions. https://www.eeo.com.cn/2026/0110/778367.shtml