June 21 is the main day of celebration of the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in Yulin (China), a meeting that lasts for 10 days and has become world famous because, as the second part of its name indicates , has as one of its attractions the consumption of dog meat. This gastronomic specialty (if we are allowed to use the most generic meaning of the word) provokes rejection in most of the world and also in China it is the reason for protests and actions in defense of animals.
One of the most active organizations in denouncing this celebration is the Chinese animal protection entity Vshine, associated with Humane Society International (HSI). Vshine activists staged a rescue action last week at a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Yulin for 19 dogs that were going to be slaughtered and whose meat would presumably be cooked and sold at the festival in this town in the autonomous region of Guangxi. in the southern part of China, as reported and documented by HSI.
The images released show unsanitary facilities where dogs are accumulated in deplorable conditions, and equipment to slaughter, skin and pre-cook the animals. The activists "also found a hair removal machine and piles of dog fur torn from dead dogs, as well as torch-burned dog carcasses ready for delivery to Yulin markets," says the international organization with which Vshine is associated.
The rescued dogs were severely dehydrated and malnourished, with matted and dirty fur, and one of the animals had lost an eye. Most were small breeds typical of Chinese companion dogs, plus an extremely friendly golden retriever, and all responded to their rescuers with desperate affection, suggesting they were dogs stolen from their owners, he says. HSI.
Most of the dogs and cats caught in China's meat trade are pets and strays snatched from the streets and from people's backyards, often with the use of poison and entrapment nooses. They are crammed into wire cages and herded for hours or even days across the country before arriving at the slaughterhouse where they are beaten to death, VShine and HSI officials explain.
One of the Chinese activists explained to HSI: “This was one of the dirtiest and bloodiest dog slaughterhouses we have ever seen. The dogs had just arrived in a truck that morning and we were devastated to discover that we had arrived too late to save five dogs that had already been killed." "The dogs that were still alive seemed traumatized by the slaughter they had just witnessed, and the smell of blood and flesh was overpowering. Most of the dogs greeted us enthusiastically, kicking the cage bars for attention, while others were genuinely turned off and shocked. Now everyone is safe and receiving much-needed medical care, food, water and love to recover from their ordeal. They were minutes away from being killed by the Yulin markets”, explained this activist.
