By Irene Feng, Animals Asia China Cat and Dog Welfare Director

On June 22, the Summer Solstice will once again be celebrated in Yulin, southern China and thousands of dogs will be slaughtered and eaten.

This so-called “festival” was begun by meat traders and became popular in Yulin during the last decade when they saw an opportunity for profit. Sadly, their profits came at the cost of an estimated 10,000 dogs every year.

Many of these dogs, whether homeless or part of a family, are stolen from the streets, or taken away from their loving homes – often poisoned before their meat ends up on the dining table.

In China, the consumption of cat and dog meat not only risks food safety and causes health problems, it is also escalating a criminal crisis.

As a concentrated snapshot of China’s cat and dog meat consumption issue, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival has become a major event in the effort to end the trade in China.

This is why we have been taking action. This effort has resulted in great progress in recent years as local government has sought to distance themselves from such a sensitive event and have taken their food safety responsibilities much more seriously.

In 2014, media reports suggested that 2,000 animals were slaughtered – a reduction of 8,000 on previous years.

That’s 8,000 canine lives saved. It’s incredible progress, but it’s not enough. We want no more dogs to die.

In April this year, the Yulin government declared that they would crack down on any “Dog Meat Festival” launched by local dog butchers or restaurateurs in Yulin.

Sadly, the slaughter and consumption of dogs is not illegal and therefore dog meat consumption on the summer solstice will continue.

Even though local traders will not promote it as a “festival”, it will still take place. An estimated 2,000 innocent animals will still die. They can call it what they like – we will continue to call it cruelty.

Now we need YOUR HELP more than ever to end the brutal dog meat trade in Yulin.

Join the #ItsNoFestival campaign by:

Signing our letter. Animals Asia is urging the meat traders to cancel the event and abandon their trade. We need as many signatures as possible, so please ask your friends to sign too. We will share that letter far and wide in China. Utilising media new and old and calling on celebrity friends to share via their own networks. The message will be unavoidable.

Making a donation. Please help us to end the Yulin festival and allow us to continue our vital work. We will continue to seek help from the media, as well as launching an advertising campaign and providing leaflets and posters to local NGOs as part of their own public education activities. You can help us to offer them aid, such as providing dog food and medicine to the Yulin “meat dogs” who are rescued by local Chinese groups. You can also support us to continue our positive communications with the Yulin government, encouraging them to take stronger action in ending the industry once and for all. Your donation could make such a difference and help us to end this cruel and illegal trade.

Joining us on Facebook. Like us on Facebook and share our efforts to end the slaughter in Yulin.

Following us on Twitter. Keep up to date with our campaign and share its message with everyone you know. Use the hashtag #ItsNoFestival.

Tell everyone you know. Tell them the facts and risks of dog meat consumption. As more people learn about the inherent corruption, illegality and health risks in the trade, we get increasingly closer to ending it once and for all. That goes for China and internationally.

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