Cover image via Animal AU
Here's what you really need to know about the macabre festival:
Image via The Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation
1. It's an annual celebration in Yulin, Guangxi, China
China's dog-eating tradition apparently started 400 years ago. In the late 90s, dog hotpots started getting popularity within Yulin. Residents would invite their friends to go out and enjoy dog hotpot served with strong liquor.
Image via IB Times
Image via iTV
The festival itself started in 2010 to [mark the astronomical midsummer] (http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/yulin-dog-meat-festival-why-thousands-dogs-are-slaughtered-over-summer-solstice-china-1563352). Festival goers celebrate it every 21 June until 30 June by eating dog meat and lychee. Dog meat is purportedly believed to ward off the summer heat.
2. Thousands of dogs and cats are being killed to commemorate this tradition
An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 dogs and cats are tortured, cooked alive and eaten at the summer solstice festival, according to a previous article from [SAYS Malaysia] (http://says.com/my/news/facts-about-yulin-dog-meat-festival).
Image via SMACE
Image via iTV
Image via Daily Mail
Image via Daily Mail
3. Animal activists from all over the world have been trying to stop the slaughter for years
[Marc Ching] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xTRkIIoG_0), the American founder and activist of [Animal Hope and Wellness] (http://www.animalhopeandwellness.org), announced on 22 June that with help of the [Tree Of Life] (http://www.treeoflife.com.au), he has just [rescued 1,000 dogs from six slaughterhouses] (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/man-rescues-1-000-dogs-china-dog-meat-festival-graphic-article-1.2683578) along with a slew of heartbreaking videos during the event in Southern China.
"We just rescued over 1000 dogs from Yulin. A thousand breaths that would die here in the dark. A thousand lives that would bleed like blood left there upon ground. **These dogs, they are brothers. They are sisters. They are fathers and mothers. They are children. They deserve a chance. All life deserves chance**," said Ching on his post.
However, according [The News Lens] (http://international.thenewslens.com/article/42639), the Chinese government does not seem to want to associate itself with the festival or the custom of eating dog meat, which is still common in parts of Asia.
Even the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters on 21 June that the local Yulin government has never supported or organized the dog meat festival, the Oriental Daily reported.
In a poll by the [Humane Society International] (http://www.hsi.org/news/press_releases/2016/06/yulin-china-dog-meat-opinion-poll.html?referrer=https://www.google.com.tw/), majority of Chinese public wants to shut down the Yulin dog meat festival. The poll found that 64% of Chinese public believes the dog meat festival should no longer be held. However, only 21% of respondents in Guanxi were of the same view. The poll surveyed 2,204 people.
4. Dog-eating is also prevalent in other parts of Asia
Image via The Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation
According to the [dog meat trade report in South Korea] (https://litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com/webcd/app?action=DocumentDisplay&crawlid=1&doctype=cite&docid=21+Animal+L.+29&srctype=smi&srcid=3B15&key=d9029f1ccf66735779b5e3defa01b270) by Claire Czajkowski, "within Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines have banned the slaughter of dogs for meat consumption."
Image via Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation
However, there are dog meat industries in South Korea that are still thriving and about 2.5 million dogs are slaughtered for food each year.
"**Rampant cruelty is inflicted on dogs raised for consumption at all points of the trade, from intensive farming methods on dog farms to inhumane slaughter methods,**" added Czajkowski.
5. Dog lovers or not, these celebrities came together to ask the people behind the massive dog killings to #StopTheCruelty
Image via Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation
The ways those people killed the animals are beyond cruelty. Just seeing the heartbreaking photos and videos would make you ask yourself if they really are humans at this point.
This is not just carnivorousness. This is monstrosity.
Image via Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation
Image via Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation
Watch this report from the International Business Times on "Why thousands of dogs are slaughtered over the summer solstice in China":
Watch the PSA of the Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation showing celebrities addressing the issue of animal cruelty:
You, too, can help!
[Raise UR Paw] (https://www.change.org/u/37659757), along with Change.org, still needs 1,337,080 more people to sign the petition that will "Stop the Yulin Meat Eating Festival":
For more news updates
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give SAYS PH a thumbs up on [Facebook] (http://facebook.com/saysphilippines) and [Twitter] (https://twitter.com/SAYSPhilippines)
Image via Animal Hope & Wellness
