20 Dogs Rescued Before Yulin Festival

While the Yulin festival goes on, HSI has managed to save 20 dogs from ending up on the plates as dog meat.

20 Dogs Rescued

Just a day before the Yulin festival kicked off in China, 20 dogs were rescued from a slaughter house on the outskirts of the Yulin city. The dogs rescued, were taken to a nearby shelter for medical treatment. Previous week, HSI retrieved around 35 dogs and cats from a different slaughterhouse located in the city. It is surprising to note that while consumption of dog meat is not illegal in China, most of the citizens disapprove of Yulin festival and killing of dogs for dog meat. Some say that this Yulin festival is destroying China’s reputation.

Press statement by Adam Parascandola,  HSI’s Director

“In the early hours of the morning, we went to the live dog market that sits outside a slaughterhouse. It was heartbreaking to see the dogs crammed into tiny cages and panting in the heat. One lone dog in a cage by himself gave a small tail wag when I spoke to him. It’s amazing that he was still so trusting after so much suffering. Luckily we were able to rescue him and 19 other dogs. We gave them water, which most lapped frantically, and their tails wagged as we talked to them. I’m so relieved we were able to get these dogs out, and that soon they will know the love and comfort all animals should enjoy.”

This 10-day festival sees killing of almost 10,000 dogs. This festival has invited excessive criticism, debates and outrage from people all across the globe.

These dogs were stolen from homes and picked up from streets for dog meat. Some captured dogs were sick and are at a risk of spreading diseases such as rabies etc. Before slaughter, these dogs are reportedly kept in inhuman conditions. They are not given any water or food and even abused badly before being slaughtered. Now, the dogs rescued by HSI are recuperating at a shelter!

Various road checkpoints were set up by Yulin authorities to stop incoming trucks with caged live dogs and cats. According to HSI, these trucks need to show health certificates for each animal being transported, however, most of the truck drivers don’t carry any documents or show fake documents to smuggle them in the city for dog meat.

HSI claims that approximately 30 million dogs are killed across Asia. In China alone, 10-20 million canines are reportedly killed to be converted into food.

Reference : The Huffington Post