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 : www.yousignanimals.org