In New York City’s Times Square, one of the busiest pedestrian intersections in the world, photographs of Wang Wang come up on a gigantic digital screen every 35 minutes.
One of the captions reads: “She was loved. She wanted to live. She should still be here.” Similar billboards have been put up on a building near Taipei 101, an iconic 101-floor skyscraper in Taiwan. This one includes a picture of Wang Wang nursing her puppies. “This planet is their home too. Justice for Wang Wang,” the caption reads.
CK, a Taiwanese woman who spent NT$30,000 ($930; £692) putting up the billboard, says she hopes it can foster “a sense of unity”.
“It makes everyone feel like we’re speaking out together on this issue, rather than airing our individual opinions online,” she tells BBC Chinese. CK has also set up accounts on platforms like Reddit and X to share the animals’ plight.
“The world need to know about the cruelty these dogs have been subject to,” CK says, adding that she couldn’t sleep or eat properly for days after seeing a clip of the brutal killing.
Elara, another Taiwanese woman, used AI to translate a summary of the incident into more than 10 languages, such as Japanese, Portuguese and Russian, which have been circulated online.
Residents in Hong Kong and Macau have raised funds to put up posters on buses and trains.
Within mainland China, the debate continues, with much of the conversation centred around creating awareness to demand laws against animal cruelty.
A striking cartoon of Wang Wang and her puppies caught the eye of many football fans during a domestic game at a stadium in Dalian on Saturday. “Every life deserves respect and kindness,” read the cartoon that was displayed on a huge screen before the game.
Homegrown businesses, such as beauty brand Amortals and streetwear label Wah Yan Ching Nin, have also placed ads outside shopping malls across the country, calling for an end to animal abuse.
Stickers and car decals featuring Wang Wang and her puppies have also been put up for sale on China’s largest e-commerce platform Taobao.
And people have continued to rally online.
“Let’s keep posting. Don’t let the heat of discussion cool down,” reads a comment on Weibo.
“Constantly speaking up does not mean disturbing social order. [We’re doing this] to let more people see it and realise it’s such an important thing that we do not mistreat animals,” reads another.
