If you’re at all concerned about animal welfare issues, you’ve likely heard about the horrors of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
Taking place in the Guangxi province in China, the event involves the bloody slaughter of thousands of dogs over a ten day period as guests arrive to consume dishes made out of dog meat. It starts on June 21st in 2022.
At the peak of the event, which started around a decade ago, Humane Society International (HSI) estimates that up to 10,000 dogs were killed.
Naturally, the event attracts a whole host of very valid criticism — and calls to shut the Yulin Dog Meat Festival are increasing.
The Horrors Of The Yulin Dog Meat Festival
Animal rights groups across the world have condemned the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in Yulin for the cruel slaughter of thousands of dogs every year.
Meat traders generally gather their supply of dogs by rounding up strays and stealing pets or even service dogs.
The dogs do not come from meat farms in China. Farms would be unprofitable due to vaccination and feeding costs among many factors. So, traders take the dogs from other sources.
The dog meat traders transport the dogs in tiny cages and often skin them alive at the festival. Some are still even wearing their collars.
People have eaten dog meat in China for over 500 years. However, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival itself is not a tradition.
It was created in 2010 by dog meat traders. They sold it to the public as a local tradition without the endorsement of the national or local Yulin government.
Dog meat traders further encourage nationalist sentiment by claiming that the backlash from the international community results from Western cultural imperialism.
However, most Chinese people don’t even eat dog meat. A 2016 poll showed that 52 percent of Chinese people wanted the dog meat festival banned, and 70 percent had never eaten dog meat.
Fewer than five percent of Chinese people eat dog meat frequently. A 2015 poll showed that 30 million urban households in China had pets, including dogs and cats, and that number is growing.
The nation’s young people in particular would like to see an end to the dog meat trade. So the festival is not a tradition, and the consumption of dog meat is not widespread and is on the decline.
Ways To Help Stop The Yulin Dog Meat Festival
So how can you go about helping to stop events like the Yulin Dog Meat Festival?
Well, first of all, you can sign an online petition started by HSI.
“Not only is the brutality of this cruel trade inconsistent with Chinese animal protection culture, with stolen pets suffering terrible abuse, but allowing the Yulin event to go ahead also runs contrary to China’s public health and safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains the petition. “Stopping the killing of dogs and cats in Yulin once and for all would protect people and animals.”
Sometimes dogs rescued from the meat trade are sent to the US or Canada for adoption. Keep an eye out for them, and check in with Humane Society International for updates.
Other ways that you can contribute to stopping events such as the Yulin Dog Meat Festival include:
- Donate to animal welfare charities, whether on a global, national, or local level.
- Adopt, don’t shop — and encourage friends and family to adopt dogs in need rather than purchase dogs.
- If you’re not in a position to adopt a dog, consider sponsoring one through a verified organization such as Duo Duo Project.
- Share links to petitions like the one above on your social media pages. Awareness counts.
Do you have any ideas on how we can work to stop events like this? Have you signed any petitions to try to stop this event yet? Let us know in the comments section below.
