Cancel Annual Dog-Eating Festival in China
Goal: Permanently cancel cruel dog-eating festival.
The Chinese region of Yulin is already preparing for their annual summer solstice dog-eating festival. Each year, thousands of festival-goers consume dog meat en-masse with lychee and grain alcohol as part of a decades-old tradition. In 2014, an estimated 10,000 dogs were killed for the festival, most of which were bred for slaughter but some of which were lost or stolen pets. Animals were brought from all over China to supply the festival’s high demand for dog meat.
During the festival, dog meat traders will slit the throats of live, conscious dogs on the street in front of consumers. Streets are lined with dogs crammed into tiny chicken cages without food or water, and some even die of heat stroke and dehydration before they can be slaughtered. These stressful conditions can cause the animals to turn on each other, biting and even killing their cage mates.
Despite government restrictions on the sale of raw dog meat and the importation of dogs from other areas, Yulin’s dog meat festival is set to continue this year. The government has made no effort to stop the festival, with city officials denying any connection to the event and refusing to investigate breaches of animal welfare law. Instead of Chinese officials investigating allegations of dog abductions ahead of the festival, private animal welfare groups are the only ones helping pet owners.
This cruel and outdated festival results in the suffering of thousands of dogs annually, and is in breach of several animal welfare laws. Sign the petition below to demand that Chinese officials stop ignoring the atrocities at the Yulin dog meat festival and cancel it permanently.
Dear Mr. Xi Jinping,
As the summer solstice approaches, so does Yulin’s annual dog-eating festival, which sees tens of thousands of locals and tourists fill the streets to sample traditional dishes such as dog meat and lychee fruit. Last year, an estimated 10,000 dogs were slaughtered for the festival, some of which were strays or even stolen from pet owners.
This festival is cruel, and several aspects of it may be illegal, including the kidnapping of dogs, the import of dogs from outside Yulin, and the sale of raw dog meat. Unfortunately, no effort has been made to investigate wrongdoing at the event. We, the undersigned, demand that the Chinese government take a stand against the Yulin dog meat festival and permanently cancel it.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Whoisgalt via Creative Commons
