In late June, disturbing footage emerged from Jieyang, Guangdong province, showing four boys under 14 beating three puppies with sticks and setting their mother, Wang Wang, on fire, laughing as she burned. Chinese authorities quickly moved to censor the video, citing the need to protect the minors' identities and urging the public not to disseminate information or engage in cyberbullying. However, this response only intensified public anger, as animal lovers argued that the lack of animal cruelty laws in China allowed such acts to go unpunished.