A notorious dog meat festival in southwest China has sparked an outcry among the nation’s growing ranks of pet lovers, who say the event has spurred an illicit trade in stolen pets.
Dog meat is a popular winter food in parts of China and Korea, where the rich meat is believed to help keep people warm. But the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, which will be held this weekend in Guangxi near the border with Vietnam, has caused domestic and international outrage, with opponents saying many of the animals are cruelly treated and illegally obtained.
The festival has for several years been galvanising China’s animal rights movement, which has arisen as the number of prosperous middle-class pet owners has grown. Many activists plan to travel to Yulin to protest against the festival, where an estimated 2,000 dogs a day are slaughtered.