Loading...
Done
Butchered dogs are transport to a vendor's stall at a dog meat market ahead of a local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China on June 20, 2018. The event is popular with hungry locals who believe the traditional meat is good for the body. It can be traced back to 2009 and it is believed 10,000 dogs – many of them stolen and strays – were killed for previous festivals. But the gala been slammed by animal rights activists who are seeking new ways to pressurise organisers to cancel the annual festival. Residents in the southern city defended eating the meat to celebrate the summer solstice on Thursday. The 10-day event, dubbed the lychee and dog meat festival by residents, has become a symbol of hatred for dog lovers, who every year confront those who buy, sell and eat canines. In recent years, activists have raided slaughterhouses and intercepted truckloads of dogs in efforts to limit the number of animals killed. They branded the dog meat trade is inhumane and unhygienic, pointing to videos of dogs caught with wire lassos, transported in tiny cages and slaughtered with metal rods. Yulin resident Wang Yue said: “Yulin's so-called lychee and dog meat festival is just a popular custom of ours. Popular customs themselves cannot be right or wrong. Those scenes of bloody dog slaughter that you see online, I want to say that the killing of any animal will be bloody. I hope people can look at this objectively”. But animal protection group Humane Society International said in a statement the festival was “manufactured” by the dog meat traders and that dog meat was not part of mainstream food culture in China. The event is not sanctioned by Yulin authorities, but police said their efforts to "maintain stability" had reduced the number of activists in the city this year. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Butchered dogs are transport to a vendor's stall at a dog meat market ahead of a local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China on June 20, 2018. The event is popular with hungry locals who believe the traditional meat is good for the body. It can be traced back to 2009 and it is believed 10,000 dogs – many of them stolen and strays – were killed for previous festivals. But the gala been slammed by animal rights activists who are seeking new ways to pressurise organisers to cancel the annual festival. Residents in the southern city defended eating the meat to celebrate the summer solstice on Thursday. The 10-day event, dubbed the lychee and dog meat festival by residents, has become a symbol of hatred for dog lovers, who every year confront those who buy, sell and eat canines. In recent years, activists have raided slaughterhouses and intercepted truckloads of dogs in efforts to limit the number of animals killed. They branded the dog meat trade is inhumane and unhygienic, pointing to videos of dogs caught with wire lassos, transported in tiny cages and slaughtered with metal rods. Yulin resident Wang Yue said: “Yulin's so-called lychee and dog meat festival is just a popular custom of ours. Popular customs themselves cannot be right or wrong. Those scenes of bloody dog slaughter that you see online, I want to say that the killing of any animal will be bloody. I hope people can look at this objectively”. But animal protection group Humane Society International said in a statement the festival was “manufactured” by the dog meat traders and that dog meat was not part of mainstream food culture in China. The event is not sanctioned by Yulin authorities, but police said their efforts to "maintain stability" had reduced the number of activists in the city this year. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



This photo taken on June 20, 2018 shows a vendor chopping up dog meat for a customer at the Dongkou market in Yulin in China' s southern Guangxi region, ahead of the Yulin dog meat festival which opens on June 21. The festival in the southwestern town of Yulin has long drawn international criticism, with thousands of dogs traditionally being killed during the event. (Photo by Pak Yiu/AFP Photo)

This photo taken on June 20, 2018 shows a vendor chopping up dog meat for a customer at the Dongkou market in Yulin in China' s southern Guangxi region, ahead of the Yulin dog meat festival which opens on June 21. The festival in the southwestern town of Yulin has long drawn international criticism, with thousands of dogs traditionally being killed during the event. (Photo by Pak Yiu/AFP Photo)



People eat dog meat at a dog meat restaurant during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

People eat dog meat at a dog meat restaurant during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



A man cuts dog meat at a dog meat restaurant ahead of local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A man cuts dog meat at a dog meat restaurant ahead of local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



Customers toast as they watching the World Cup 2018 match, over a dog meat dish at a dog meat market ahead of a local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Customers toast as they watching the World Cup 2018 match, over a dog meat dish at a dog meat market ahead of a local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



People eat dog meat outside a kindergarten during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

People eat dog meat outside a kindergarten during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



Butchered dogs displayed for sale at a stall inside a meat market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Butchered dogs displayed for sale at a stall inside a meat market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



Butchered dogs are seen on sale at a stall inside a meat market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Butchered dogs are seen on sale at a stall inside a meat market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



A woman carries a butchered dog at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A woman carries a butchered dog at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



Butchered dogs are transported to a vendor's stall at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Butchered dogs are transported to a vendor's stall at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



Butchered dogs are seen at a dog meat restaurant ahead of local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Butchered dogs are seen at a dog meat restaurant ahead of local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



This photo taken on June 20, 2018 shows a vendor preparing dog meat at her stall in the Dongkou market in Yulin in China' s southern Guangxi region, ahead of the Yulin dog meat festival which opens on June 21. (Photo by Pak Yiu/AFP Photo)

This photo taken on June 20, 2018 shows a vendor preparing dog meat at her stall in the Dongkou market in Yulin in China' s southern Guangxi region, ahead of the Yulin dog meat festival which opens on June 21. (Photo by Pak Yiu/AFP Photo)



This photo taken on June 20, 2018 shows a vendor pulling a trolley with dog meat piled on top at the Dongkou market in Yulin in China' s southern Guangxi, ahead of the Yulin dog meat festival which opens on June 21. (Photo by Pak Yiu/AFP Photo)

This photo taken on June 20, 2018 shows a vendor pulling a trolley with dog meat piled on top at the Dongkou market in Yulin in China' s southern Guangxi, ahead of the Yulin dog meat festival which opens on June 21. (Photo by Pak Yiu/AFP Photo)



Butchered dogs are transported to a vendor's stall at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Butchered dogs are transported to a vendor's stall at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)



A man walks with his pet dog as he talks to a vendor who sells dog meat at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A man walks with his pet dog as he talks to a vendor who sells dog meat at a market during the local dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China on June 21, 2018. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)
23 Jun 2018 00:03:00