Every year thousands of dogs are slaughtered and served as a delicacy in a city called Yulin, located in southeastern China. For ten days, an event is held where the main attraction is eating dog meat and drinking lychee liquor to celebrate the beginning of summer.
Many celebrities have raised their voices in animal rights campaigns, with the sole objective of stop the practice that horrifies and confuses most westerners.
Animal rights groups believe dogs are stolen. Dogs and cats are transported illegally in horrible conditions, so much so that some die asphyxiated during the long journey.
Once in Yulin, these dogs are crammed into dirty little cages, where they are eventually beaten to death. Next, we show you some details of this horrendous festival that is celebrated in this Chinese town.
How many cats and dogs die in each event?
At its peak, the yulin dog meat festival, was responsible for at least 10 to 15 euthanized dogs.
In 2014, it was reported that that figure dropped to two thousand or three thousand pets. Reliable sources have lowered the figure last year to less than a thousand. The figure, widely contrasted although difficult to verify, is approximately 10 million sacrifices.
Do you only eat dogs at the Festival?
Said festival marks the summer solstice. The full name of the festival is Yulin's Lychee and Dog Meat Festival. A lot of beer is also consumed. Unfortunately it has also been reported that cat meat is consumed, although in smaller quantities.
Can the government stop this massacre?
In regards to Yulin's dog meat festival, the government no longer sanctions him in any way way. It seems to be some kind of unofficial arrangement, between dog meat lovers to meet once a year.
Was the festival really canceled?
This rumor is repeated every year, usually due to confusion on social media regarding other festivals. Many wait for it to end, but the festival is more likely to be phased out, due to public pressure.
Where do the dogs that are euthanized come from?
According to some research, the idea that these dogs are bred is false. The vast majority are stolen, captured or poisoned and put in small cages with other dogs.
During this time they have no food or water and diseases spread rapidly. These diseases include canine distemper, parvovirus, and, almost certainly, rabies.
Where are they taking them?
Dog slaughterhouses are dirty, they are not regulated and they are also very cruel. There is no quarantine in animals, neither at slaughter, nor during transport.
These slaughterhouses are usually located far from downtown areas and communities, however, in the places where it is more common to eat cat and dog meat, animals can be killed in the street.
How do animals die?
This is a difficult question, because there are no regulations on the killing of dogs.
Generally, suffer a death that is far from efficient. They are caught by taking them around the neck with metal hooks and dragged from their cages. They are then crushed or stabbed in the neck or groin to bleed out.
Other methods of killing them include hanging or electrocuting them. This it happens dog by dog, so other dogs are likely to witness multiple deaths before their own, causing panic to spread among them.
Are dogs really boiled alive?
While we do not believe this is a routine intention, the ineffective killing techniques and the scale of the murder involved mean it is very likely that the cooking of the dogs can begin before their death.
Is this torture part of the festival?
It is no exaggeration to say that what dogs suffer is torture, however, it is more likely that this torture is due to cruel capture, transport and slaughter, rather than a deliberate desire to prolong the dog's pain for the gratification, entertainment or to enhance the dish in any way.
Is eating cat and dog meat common in China?
Although the practice of eating cat and dog meat has existed for many years in China, especially in Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou province, and northeast China, la frequency of consumption and the amount consumed is decreasing year by year.
Due to the effort made by NGOs, to individuals, both national and foreign to improve animal welfare in China and their work with local authorities, the number of consumers of cat and dog meat, it continues to shrink every year.
Despite many of the animals being stolen, the meat still has a high market value. It is consumed for reasons of superstition or tonic, or possibly for tradition. Actually, if cat or dog meat were made illegal, tomorrow no one would starve.
Why doesn't this festival stop?
Influencing legislation is quite a complicated matter and very difficult to doHowever, there have been significant responses that have not gone unnoticed.
This includes nearly nine million people who have voted online for proposed legislation to end the consumption of cat and dog meat. Meanwhile, although dog theft stories are a constant in Chinese media, they still have the power to shock and there is a growing sense that the time has come to change all this.
Consuming cat or dog meat, being illegal, would be very welcome and in this way reduce crime and cruelty at the same time.
NGOs and brave animal lovers are also responsible for numerous dog and cat rescues every year, especially before the festival takes place. This is a big undertaking, because rescues begin with the stop of the truck, but caring for the dogs or cats can continue for many years afterward.
If the festival ended, what would happen to the dogs found in Yulin?
The most likely scenario is that The increase in year-on-year pressure will make the festival of Yulin dog meat continue to shrink in size.
Public pressure is already doing that and saving lives in the process. It is vital that this pressure is maintained. If there is no appetite for consumption, the supply will also decrease, as will the cruelty. In the event that the festival came to a sudden stop, we were confident that local groups, with our support, could rescue the dogs.
Currently, there is a large number of local rescue groups that have come pushing for Yulin's dog meat festival to end. With so many groups working so hard, there will be no shortage of support in caring for these dogs and cats so that eventually, new homes can be found for them.