Animal Hope and Wellness, lead by Marc Ching, is the one organization in the US that has been consistently fighting for and rescuing these animals. He went ahead of the festival (June 14th) to scour the market grounds (hoping that the “rumor” was true), only to find that they were all preparing for (and already had) the big influx of dog meat. No other animal rights groups have met with the Yulin government except Animal Hope and Wellness. They are also the only ones going to US congress to plea for help and an end to this senseless killings.
On June 9th, Animal Hope and Wellness and Dogs in Danger pulled a rally together at major Chinese embassies and consulates in the US. I have no affiliation to any of these organizations. But I truly believe in their work. We were there giving a voice to the voiceless. I created an entire campaign series to be used not only at the rally, but to be posted through out all social media outlets to help spread the word and to drive up donation for the organization.
Reasons why the sale of dog meat is still rampant:
In China, there are no laws protecting animals (or against animal cruelty). Also, the sale of dog meat is not monitored by the government – no laws or regulations surround this particular meat (unlike chicken, pork, beef). The dogs are crammed in cages for shipment, and end up spreading diseases to each other (and then to the humans who consume them).
Early on before the festival, Marc, Suki and local activists managed to save about 5000 dogs. They were at slaughterhouses buying the freedom of these animals, and in few cases, they ran trucks off the road carrying dogs. On June 17th (Day 1), they saved about 400+ dogs. Rescue feed 1
Another 40 cages rescued the next day. Release feed 2.
On the 20th, Chinese activists rescued about 1200 from a truck they ran off the road. Rescue feed 3 Unfortunately, many arrived injured, sick and even dead. But all arrived freed.
On June 26th, irrefutable proof (and there have been many such cases) of dogs stolen / kidnapped from families. Release feed 4
For Marc and his team, after the dogs are rescued from slaughter, there is still the problem of treating them (as most, if not all of them, are in deplorable health conditions due to the capture and enclosure), finding and working with licensed shelters and then finally giving them a forever home (and love).
Ways to convince the Yulin government to outlaw dog meat:
Dog meat causes diseases like cholera and rabies. Possible infections also include parasites such as E. Coli 107 and salmonella. There is also a danger that bacterial infections like anthrax, brucellosis, hepatitis, and leptospirosis can be spread through the meat to people.
Trichinellosis is a zoonotic parasite that can be easily transmitted from dogs to humans through infected meat consumption. Once these parasites are in the human body, they can cause inflammation in blood vessels which leads to hemorrhaging in the nail beds and eyes, in addition to severe muscle weakness. If left untreated, trichinellosis can be fatal.
source: onegreenplanet.com
There are other communicable dog diseases that can pass to humans including anthrax, Campylobacteriosis, dog tapeworm, hookworm, ringworm, roundworm, Brucellosis, Capnocytophaga, Cryptosporidium, Echinococcosis, Ehrlichiosis, Giardia, Leishmaniasis, Leptospirosis, Lyme disease, MRSA, Plague (Yersinia pestis), Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Sarcoptic mange – all causing anywhere from flu, diarrhea, anemia to the shutting down of human organs.
source: cdc.gov
Aside from that, the brutal torture (and the fear evoked) that the dogs endure before death is said to release poisonous toxin into their blood and is present even after death in their meat.
It just isn’t a safe or healthy alternative for human consumption.
Besides health reasons, (even though there are no animal protection laws) it is illegal to steal someone’s property. The dogs that end up at the butchers’ tables are not strays. A majority of these dogs that are sent to slaughter have been stolen and/or kidnapped from families. By extension, a house pet is a “property.” Unfortunately, most Chinese families do not microchip their dogs to prove ownership.
Of course, at the end of the day, this is not just a call-out on or shaming of just China, as other Asian countries like South Korea, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam also consume dog meat. An estimated 30 million dogs are consumed by humans each year across Asia. It is also not to be hypocritical of other meats that are consumed around the world (what makes one animal more deserving of saving than the other). Only vegans can come out and make that stand against eating meat without sounding like a hypocrite.
However, this is to raise awareness that torture on animals, especially when they are meant for consumption, shouldn’t be permitted. I will always champion the meek and the mild. They deserve a voice. Ban Yulin forever. This is not culture. It is torture. A dog will always be men’s best friend. They will never be men’s food. 取消 – 玉林狗肉節。这是虐杀， 不是民俗 。是毒，盜，偷，槍和銷贓 的違法產業鏈 。鏟除貓，狗肉黑色產業鏈
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Mahatma Gandhi
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