Yulin started its annual dog meat festival on Tuesday, despite opposition from animal activists and a growing global concern for the animals.
The Chinese dog meat industry slaughters about 10 million dogs a year, according to Last Chance for Animals, a non-profit dedicated to humanitarian work for animals. Areas like Yulin have become a hub for the trade as well as a talking point for humanitarian efforts. Every year, Yulin celebrates the summer solstice with the dog meat festival. During the festival, which lasts more than a week, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 dogs are slaughtered for consumption.
“The fact that the festival went on despite the massive global outcry is extremely disappointing. But we are making progress,” said Chris DeRose, founder of LCA, which has been campaigning against Yulin for two years. They launched the website StopDogMeat.com to expose the harmful treatment of the animals.
“This year, we were able to get hidden-camera footage of slaughterhouses in Yulin and in surrounding cities. The dogs are stolen, and spend hours crammed into tiny cages on trucks to get to Yulin. Then they’re clubbed to death and boiled alive,” DeRose told Kore.
Efforts from LCA and other humanitarian groups have decreased the number of dogs slaughtered each year. Animals Asia, another group trying to put an end to the event, approximates a 80 percent drop in the number of killed dogs this year compared to the last. That puts the number to 2,000 from 10,000.
The festival, which reportedly began in the 90’s, marks the beginning of the summer solstice. On this day, locals and festival goers celebrate the beginning of China’s hottest days with food and drink. Superstition suggests that dog meat promotes health, luck and wards off the heat of summer, meaning that across Yulin each year, alleys and stalls are filled with the controversial commodity.
DeRose said the decline in dog meat sales is a clear sign that the efforts of activists are working.
A survey done by China.org shows a growing number of Chinese locals support banning the Yulin festival. Sixty-four percent of the survey group, which included Yulin locals, said they would support a permanent ban of the festival. Meanwhile, 51.7 percent wanted to ban the dog meat trade completely. Another 69.5 percent said they have never eaten a dog.
“What really makes me optimistic is the number of Chinese citizens condemning dog and cat meat and taking a strong stand against it. Ultimately, the change must happen within China,” DeRose said.
