Chinese Animal Protection Network (CAPN) is a non-profit animal protection organization, and the first network for animal protection in China, founded by Chinese people. CAPN is known for its pioneering role in the animal rights movement in China, leading the growing movement against eating cats and dogs, and providing a free encyclopedia on animal welfare information. History The Chinese Animal Protection Network was founded by Dr. Jenia Meng in 2004, with its first project, the Chinese Companion Animal Protection Network. Since then, the organization has initiated projects targeting issues such as lab animal rights, vegetarianism, and opposition to indiscriminate culling as a method of population control of animals. Those projects have led the direction of Chinese non-governmental organizations. By 2008, the organization had 48 member groups, two branches, and more than 20,000 individual supporters. The organization reported on its website in 2014, that its network has expanded to reach almost every part of China, with more than 200 partner groups around world. Philosophy CAPN has a science-based philosophy of animal rights. They oppose violence in the animal rights movement, and see animal rights as a dynamic concept; they believe the rights of different animals are different because their needs are different. Six keys of the organization's philosophy, developed in 2008, include: unity: the philosophy of animal rights is a part of a universal law; scientific disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology have shown through the years that the universe is interrelated. complexity: everyone has his/her own view of animal rights. Different organizations, academics, and even animal rights activists have different viewpoints; when working with people and organizations, one should always keep in mind this diversity of viewpoints. evolution: human understanding of animal rights is evolving, as with all other areas of human knowledge. Science and technology is developing to help humans better understand the universe and their place in the universe; it is natural that our understanding of animal rights will continue to evolve. continuity: continuity exists between everything, from human to nonhuman animals, from more human-related animals to less related animals. The difference is not discrete but gradual. CAPN advocates to analyze specific issues, due to the different needs of individual animals. originality: the concept of animal rights is not a new concept, as three pillars of traditional Chinese thought, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, all have teachings regarding respect towards animals. Projects Chinese Companion Animal Protection Network