Preparations
are in full swing for the Chinese dog meat festival which is scheduled to be
held in the southern city of Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Local
residents are waiting for the dogs to arrive, so they can get to work, while
traders have their hands full, desperately trying to meet demand.
The
first step of the festival has already gone underway: thousands of dogs are
shipped from all over the country to Yulin. They are either stolen pets or
strays, who traders argue nobody will miss, so why not cook them. The canines
are rounded up and crammed in wired cages and left with no food and water and
no room to breathe. The journey can take from a couple of hours to two or even
three days. Some of the dogs do not survive this daunting experience.
Once
the dogs arrive in Yulin, they are sold to restaurants or private cooks. To
ensure the freshness of the meat, they are kept in small cages near the main
roads, so customers eager to taste dog meat can hand pick the dogs they would
like to have cooked.
Residents
of Yulin are extremely happy to host the festival – which is celebrated on June
21st to mark the Summer Solstice – and claim they prepare the tastiest dog meat
on the market.
Although
the number of dogs that are cooked at the festival has decreased each year amid
numerous international protests, there will still be over 1, 000 dogs that will
perish in the name of culinary tradition next week.
The
authorities in Yulin have been turning a blind eye for far too long on this
issue. Not only is this immoral, but also illegal: while dog meat can be sold
to the general population, vendors must provide provide so-called “health
certificates” to prove the origin of the meat; but since most of the dogs from
Yulin are either strays or stolen pets, such certificates do not exist. If
authorities had actually bothered to verify the vendors in Yulin, they would
have noticed that!
Please
show your support and help ensure that our pleas for help will finally be
heard. Urge the authorities to intervene and do not let this gruesome and
horrible gathering take place!
Please
make your voice heard, because these dogs need us more than ever! I believe in
humanity and I truly hope we will be able to save these dogs.
A
customer is holding a puppy for examination during the dog meat festival.
Dogs
are kept in cages, on the side of the road, to ensure the meat is fresh -
During
the festival, people consume 229, 800 kilograms of dog meat.
Over
1, 000 dogs will be barbecued or boiled alive at this year’s edition.
Other
dogs will be boiled alive.
Some
of the dogs that have been rescued by volunteers en route to Yulin.
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Source : dailymail.co.uk