The “Lychee and Dog Meat Festival” began on 21 June in the city of Yulin, in southern China, an event where the consumption of dog meat will increase in the coming weeks. In his wake, the Shaanxi city police, along with activists fighting to end it, intercepted a dog truck headed for the Yulin slaughterhouse, confiscating all 386 specimens on board. The Yulin-branded truck was spotted on the highway about 800 kilometers from the city, loaded with dog cages. Images collected by activists and released by the international animal protection organization Humane Society International (HSI) show police intervention and distressing scenes of dogs crammed into small metal cages in the sweltering heat. Praising the Shaanxi police for their prompt response, activists stressed the need for a “zero tolerance approach” by all law enforcement agencies to end the brutal dog meat trade in China.
A truck with 386 dogs destined for the slaughterhouses of the Yulin meat festival was intercepted
Among the material also released a video shot on June 18 in a dog meat market in the center of Yulin, where you can see stalls with carcasses of dogs and cats.
“It was horrifying to see so many dogs in such a frightening state, it was like a truck from hell for these poor animals,” activist Lin Xiong, present on site, told Humane Society International. They had probably been in the truck for days, dehydrated and hungry, many of them visibly injured and ill. We could see their petrified faces behind the bars of the cages and we knew they were headed for the slaughterhouses in Yulin where they would be beaten to death. The intervention of the Shaanxi police to stop the truck and commandeer the dogs when the driver was unable to prove that he had legally purchased and transported them was impressive. It was a very tense time for us but, thanks to the authorities, these dogs are now safe, in police custody, eating, drinking and resting. If all law enforcement in China followed a zero tolerance approach to these dog thieves and traffickers, it would be the end of the dog trade here. The massacre linked to the consumption of dog meat casts shame on our country and therefore we will continue to fight until we see the end of this suffering ».
The dogs are of different breeds and at the time of the rescue some were still wearing the typical collar of companion animals. Many were in poor physical condition with eye infections and skin problems. They have been transferred to a police facility, prepared for quarantine where they will receive the necessary veterinary care. After 21 days, if the traffickers refuse to pay the hefty fine (which they rarely do because it exceeds the profit they would get from selling the dogs), the animals will be handed over to activists. A shelter supported by Humane Society International and run by its partner Vshine has made themselves available to take care of it.
Dr Peter Li, a Chinese policy specialist at Humane Society International and advocate for rescuing dogs from the meat trade in China, said: “Although most people in China don’t eat dogs, there are still places like Yulin in which they consume themselves, inflicting terrible suffering on them. I am very proud of the Chinese activists who rescue these animals and of the police, whose response has been crucial. Without them these dogs would have met death in a slaughterhouse in Yulin. The video testimony shows the efforts made in China to stop this trade and the passion of the people who oppose this cruelty. In addition to being a nightmare for animals, this event, fueled mostly by dog thieves, is in clear contrast to the measures taken in the country to prevent the spread of Covid-19. We sincerely hope that after 21 days of quarantine these dogs will be handed over to activists so that they can be welcomed into the shelter supported by Humane Society International. They are the lucky few ».
Launched in 2010 by dog meat traders to counter the decline in sales, the Yulin event begins on June 21 and attracts thousands of visitors from across the southern province, who gather to eat dog stew and crispy dog meat in the restaurants and stalls in the city. In consideration of the anti Covid-19 measures in force in China, Chinese animal rights activists have urged local authorities to ban the annual gathering in June to protect animals and public health. Add to this the fact that polls show that 75% of Yulin’s residents do not regularly eat dog meat, despite the efforts of dog meat traders to promote it. With a growing sensitivity to animal welfare, China is significantly opposed to the dog meat trade nationwide.
In 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs officially declared that dogs are pets and not “livestock” intended for consumption. In the same year, two major cities in China – Shenzhen and Zhuhai – banned the consumption of dog and cat meat, a decision supported by almost 75% of Chinese citizens according to polls.
Summer also sees an increase in dog meat consumption in South Korea, where dog soup or “bosintang” is often eaten by older citizens to beat the heat. Opinion polls show that the majority of Koreans (84%) do not consume dog meat or do not intend to do so in the future, and a government task force is currently discussing a ban with President Yoon Suk-yeol and the first lady Kim Keon-hee, in favor of ending this practice.
Dog meat is banned in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, as well as the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai, Cambodia’s Siem Reap province and 17 cities and regencies in Indonesia. Across Asia, 30 million dogs are still being killed for their meat.
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