UPDATED: Club Sir Teen Apologizes After Use of Cow Draws Ire

[UPDATE, Jul 14, 8pm] The Sir Teen team has reached out to the Beijinger to say: “We humbly accept the valuable feedback for last night’s Milk Party and sincerely apologize.” They went on to detail their strict agreement with the ranch that the cow was from, including pledges to provide high-quality feed, keep the animal clean, and pay steep penalties if the cow lost any weight or suffered injuries while in the nightclub’s care. However, Sir Teen now promises not to have the cow in front of its club again tonight as initially planned, instead returning it to the ranch early, before concluding: “We believe that after this incident, we will do better in the future.”

Gongti nightclub Club Sir Teen is drawing ire after leaving a cow tied near its entryway throughout the night on Friday (Jul 13) as part of a milk themed party which also featured dancers clad in cow print bikinis using a hose to spray partygoers with what appeared to be a whitish liquid. Photos of the cow among a crowd of people were widely circulated on WeChat throughout the night and following morning, with many angered users writing scathing comments. 

Irene Zhang, a campaigner at animal rights NGO Humane Society International in Beijing, tells the Beijinger that such treatment of the cow is “definitely abusive,” before pointing out that live animals should be licensed by animal control departments and have proper quarantine papers. 

Angela Kalberg, an active member of Beijing’s vegan community in WeChat groups and events, was one of the most vocal critics on social media of the Sir Teen setup. She not only bemoaned the overall setup in a WeChat post, but also pointed out that the cow’s head was cruelly tethered to its leg for unknown reasons.

“I was initially shocked at how obviously cruel this is,” Kalberg said. “You can say, ‘management didn't realize’ or ‘patrons didn't know’ but it is up to us to be the voice for the ones that cannot stand up for themselves.” This incident could, and probably should, lead to boycotts of the club until it ceased such practices, she said. 

That sentiment was echoed by another expat heavily involved in the city’s vegan community named Jack (who requested we not disclose his last name). He said: “Bringing a cow into a crowded, loud, urban environment for crowds to take pictures with is stressful for the cow.” He went on to bemoan the exploitation of animals as “props” and pointed out using the cow in this way would likely hurt Sir Teen’s image and business, explaining “ethical consumers will no longer go to their club until they publicly pledge never to use live animals again. Many international DJs may also feel uncomfortable performing at their venue.” 

Meanwhile, concerned animal rights activists have found a sanctuary called Together for Animals in China that is willing to take the cow. They can be reached at 13801192990.

The night club’s management did not respond to the Beijinger’s requests for comment before press time, though one member of the Sir Teen team tells the Beijinger he has made his higher-ups aware of the complaints. 

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos: WeChat