Gruesome images have surfaced of hundreds of terrified dogs being slaughtered, skinned, and cooked in China for the annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
A reported ten thousand cats and dogs will be slaughtered over the Summer solstice, reports The Sun.
The festival has been condemned by animal welfare groups globally, yet every year the same images rock the world, and every year animal rights activists beg the Chinese Government to stop this barbaric act on man’s best friend.
Chinese authorities have guaranteed that the tradition of eating dog meat would only be observed during the festival in June, however an animal rights activist group claim that over 300 dogs and cats are killed for eating every day in Yulin.
Many of the animals are wearing collars which indicated that they are domestic pets that have been stolen for trade.
“The dogs and cats I saw were visibly traumatised, their spirits broken from their terrifying ordeal,´said Dr Peter Li, HIS’s China Policy Specialist.
“It’s hard to imagine their mental suffering, watching other dogs being killed, disembowelled and dismembered in front of them. It was like a scene from a nightmare that will haunt me forever.
“It shocked me to see how close these awful scenes are to local schools, with a high risk of young children being exposed to sounds and sights of extreme animal suffering.
“And it is apparent from the volume of dogs, and animals wearing pet collars, that Yulin remains a hub for dog and cat theft.”
It is believed that between 10 and 20 million dogs are killed for consumption annually in China, a practice that The World Trade Organisation confirms is linked to cholera and rabies.
Humane Society International are leading the campaign to #StopYulin. The online petition can be signed at here.
The petition will be submitted to Chinese officials in June.
