China loses a lot more people to mining accidents than to rabies, but somehow the government seems more interested in confiscating pets than in improving mine safety. Go figure.
Perhaps at least part of the reason is that miners in China will typically be poor, whereas dog owners in downtown Beijing may be more well-to-do, and may also be friends of Central Committee members? Just guessing.....
Or perhaps because the Central Committee members live and work in downtown Beijing, and so this makes it safer for them to be there and without having to deal with the heat that would be generated by a nationwide ban or an aggressive vaccination program?