Zhi Xiang is no ordinary Buddhist Monk. Over almost the last 30 years, he has dedicated his life to saving dogs in the Chinese city of Shanghai.
The 51-year-old has, since 1994, saved tens of thousands of dogs and is currently caring for 8,000 canines in a gigantic shelter built by him and his supporters.
He says:
When starting his mission in 1994, there were relatively few stray dogs in the city, but this number has boomed over the decades as more and more Chinese become wealthy, and more and more have become pet owners. Unfortunately, many are also incapable of looking after the pets and lack the knowledge of what it takes to take care for a dog.
Zhi says:
"This is not caused by people who dislike dogs, or by the government, but by so-called dog lovers who don't have proper animal-caring knowledge."
It is believed there are as many as 50 million stray animals in China and that this number is growing year on year.
Along with a giant shelter, Zhi also keeps several hundred dogs and cats in the Bao'en Temple where he himself is the head monk. The temple still serving as an active place of worship.
While Zhi receives no government funding, he is able to run his organisation through donations from benefactors. In total, it is estimated that it costs 12 million yuan ($2.45 million) and 60 tonnes of dog food to run the shelter every month.
While many of the dogs are re-homed, both in China and overseas, many will remain with Zhi for many years, even their entire lives. Zhi says that while he is happy for them to find new homes, he nevertheless misses them, saying:
"I think they're very happy so I feel it's worthwhile. But of course I miss them. I have a dream that one day, when I have some free time, I want to go abroad and visit them, take photos with every dog that I rescued. So when I get old and can't walk, I have these photos to look at."
[h/t: ABC News]
