Chinese city hosts dog meat festival, and people are pissed

Eating dog meat to celebrate the start of summer is a tradition in the southern Chinese city of Yulin, a practice that turns the stomachs of animal rights defenders the world over.

But despite widespread international criticism ahead of this year's event, the annual dog eating festival was held on Monday. Up to 10,000 dogs are believed to be slaughtered for the Yulin event.

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The Yulin dog meat festival is held to mark the summer solstice, widespread criticism on social media from animal rights activists and celebrities shed new light on the event.
The Human Society International (HSI) filmed festival slaughter preparations underway in Yulin late last month, according to the group. The footage shows dozens of dogs and cats packed in small cages, ready to be sold for meat.
The group also pointed out that many assume the tradition dates back hundreds of years, but say the Yulin festival was invented less than a decade ago by dog meat traders as a way to boost business.
“

I often hear people say that we shouldn’t interfere with tradition, but it isn’t Chinese tradition to brutalise animals in this way.

I often hear people say that we shouldn’t interfere with tradition, but it isn’t Chinese tradition to brutalise animals in this way. Eating dog meat hasn’t been considered fashionable or decent in China for more than a thousand years," said HSI’s China Specialist Peter Li, in a statement released before the festival. "I was brought up in China, and like thousands of my fellow Chinese, I utterly reject the dog and cat meat trade and welcome the international attention it receives." Several petitions sprang up on social media ahead of the festival, demanding an end to eating dog meat. One of the most popular Change.org petitions, directed at Yulin governor Chen Wu, breaks down the concerns of the petition creators, DuoDuo Animal Welfare Project.
The petition, which garnered more than 1.3 million signatures by Monday, delves into health and safety issues associated with slaughtering dogs for food.

China does NOT have dog farms. There are no national or local standards to ensure the safety of dog meat since dogs are not raised for food. Sick or contaminated dogs can pass illnesses to humans in the course of transport, slaughter, and food preparations. It has also been reported that some dogs have been poisoned during their capture and carry toxins in their body. The government cannot afford to ignore this public health issue.

DuoDuo, who are working on the ground in Yulin, reported that a handful of local protesters had gathered at city hall on Monday carrying banners demanding an end to the festival.

Posted by Duo Duo Animal Welfare Project - 多多 on Monday, June 22, 2015

Hundreds of thousands of people condemned the event in posts on Twitter using the hashtag #StopYulin2015. Prominent international activists also took up the call for an end to Yulin's dog meat festival.
Comedian Ricky Gervais, who often uses his Twitter account to highlight animal cruelty, spoke out against the festival over the weekend.

Whether you're an atheist or believer, vegan or hunter, you must agree that torturing a dog then skinning it alive is wrong. #StopYuLin2015

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) June 20, 2015

His last tweet on Sunday night, hours before the festival was set to begin, showed an image of Gervais cuddling a golden retriever.

Have a peaceful night. pic.twitter.com/9ifsuQjhCN

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) June 22, 2015

The local government has distanced itself from the event, according to a report from the Associated Press, and issued a statement saying it did not officially sponsor or promote the festival. It said authorities would tightly control public order and punish any incidents of stealing or poisoning dogs.
Traders would no longer be permitted to slaughter dogs in public, place carcasses on display or serve meals outdoors, it said.
Dog is eaten in some parts of China but is not a common dish. Owning dogs as pets was discouraged under early Communist Party rule but has become increasingly popular among the Chinese public, especially the urban middle class.
Some information from the Associated Press
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source:mashable.com