A film showing a calf cooked alive has shocked Chinese netizens - and our experience tells us the footage will also be shared, reported and condemned in the West. Animals Asia's Animal Welfare Director watched it - this is his response.

I watched something that made me feel literally unwell today. I will not share it. I don't think the world needs to see it. And I say that despite the fact that I know it could be a recruitment tool for us in taking on animal cruelty in Asia.

There are probably plenty of media, even some NGOs, and certainly some Facebook pages who will use it.

But what I will say about this video is - it's another reminder that China needs fit-for-purpose animal welfare laws. Because people who do something like this need to be jailed. They are not only a danger to animals, they are clearly a danger to the communities where they live. They are a danger to China too. 

They are a danger to the reputation of the modern country that China wants to be. 

There is no country, region or capital of animal cruelty. But what we can say is this - animal cruelty is more prevalent where it goes unpunished.

Such movies go viral for a reason. And that reason is shock. They aren't welcomed or celebrated or wanted. They are condemned. Western animal lovers should be aware that the outrage they feel and the condemnation they express is very much echoed within China.

China can be a place where change is hard to make. People can feel voiceless. Social media has changed that a little – but at best it can only show public opinion. It has no direct role in making new laws happen.

Nobody should need a reminder of why such an act is wrong. But experience tells us that people will suggest the pain and emotions of animals are secondary to humans.

But cows are sentient animals, capable of experiencing both positive and negative emotions just as we do. They feel pain, fear and anxiety, they form strong bonds with other cows, bear grudges against cows that have not been nice to them – and in the right circumstances they can feel happiness and experience pleasure.

Their similarity to us continues - they have long memories, are capable of learning from each other, and have individual personalities.

Cows interact with one another in socially complex ways. They develop friendships and, due to this social lifestyle, they can find isolation from other cows stressful.

Calves – such as the one that has been abused – form very strong bonds with their mothers, and removing calves from them leads to significant suffering for both individuals. When allowed, a mother cow will nurse her calf for as long as three years. The mother-calf bond continues after weaning, and mothers and calves remain close to each other for life.

Cows, like all animals, are individuals with their own personalities. Some are intelligent, some are timid and nervous, others are bolder – even coming up to you as you approach them. Some are friendly, some may be compassionate, others indifferent.

Cruelty can be easy for those without empathy – whether it’s a personality deficiency or a trait that has been “educated” out of them by society. There are still plenty of socially acceptable animal cruelties, and the person in this video will no doubt feel their arguments also vindicate his own actions.

They don’t - and this must end.

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