Is It True Torturing Animals Improves Flavor

People eating at Yulin dog meat eating festival

How many dogs are killed? Where do they come from? Is it truthful dogs are tortured first? Our Cat and Dog Welfare team in China provides the answers.

Encounter also: About Animals Asia's #EndYulinFestival campaign

ane. How many dogs will dice?

At its height the Yulin canis familiaris meat festival was said to exist responsible for x,000 to 15,000 slaughtered dogs. In 2014 that figure was reported equally dropping to two,000 to 3,000. Reliable sources last year put information technology at under 1,000.

2. How many dogs are eaten each twelvemonth in Cathay?

The widely reported - though difficult to verify - figure is 10 1000000.

Dog meat market

3. The festival is simply about eating dogs?

The festival takes identify to marker the summer solstice. This year that is June 21. The festival's full proper noun is the Yulin lychee and dog meat festival. There's also a lot of beer consumed. Sadly it has also been reported that cats are eaten besides though not in such vast numbers.

four. Can't the authorities just cease it?

Nosotros believe nosotros are reaching a point where in that location is little value for the regime in defending an industry that is being revealed as being more than near law-breaking than tradition. We'll ensure pressure continues to grow in the promise that the dog and cat meat eating industry is made illegal.

As far as the Yulin dog meat festival is concerned, it is no longer sanctioned on any level by regime so - what you're seeing is a kind of unofficial agreement by dog meat lovers to run into upward once a twelvemonth.

It's why we say - yes nosotros must end the Yulin dog meat festival - only to do that we must also end dog meat eating in People's republic of china - and that's a year-circular campaign.

Dogs in cage

5. But I heard the festival was cancelled?

This rumour goes effectually every year - usually due to defoliation on social media regarding other festivals. Nosotros promise it does end but a gradually shrinking festival due to public pressure level is more likely.

vi. Where are the dogs sourced?

Our research shows that the idea that these dogs are "farmed" is untrue. The vast bulk are stolen. Grabbed or poisoned or both and shoved into tiny cages with other dogs - they start a long journey to a dog meat trader. During this time they accept no food or water and diseases spread quickly. These include canine distemper, parvovirus and, almost certainly, rabies.

7. Where practise they go to?

Dog slaughterhouses are filthy, unregulated and cruel. No quarantine of the animals exists either at slaughter or during send. These slaughterhouses are generally located far away from downtown areas and communities, but in places where eating dog and cat meat is more common, animals tin be killed on the street.

8. How exercise they die?

This is a difficult question considering at that place are no regulations on domestic dog slaughtering. Typically they suffer a decease that is far from efficient. They are snared around the cervix with metal hooks and dragged from their cages. Then they are either bludgeoned or stabbed in the neck or groin to exist "bled out". Other methods of killing including being hanged or electrocuted. This happens canis familiaris by dog so other dogs are likely to witness multiple deaths ahead of their own. This further spreads panic.

9. Is it true that dogs are "boiled alive"?

While we don't believe this is a routine intention, inefficient slaughter techniques and the sheer scale of the killing involved means it's extremely probable that cooking of dogs can start before their death.

10. Is information technology true that dogs are browbeaten to improve the season of the meat?

This is an often-repeated allegation, and while there was some show of this many years ago, we are nonetheless to notice evidence of it occurring today. Our inquiry suggests lingering deaths tend to be equally a outcome of an inefficient slaughter rather than a deliberate attempt to inflict pain.

Dog meat stall

11. Is it true that torturing of the dogs is part of the festival?

It's no exaggeration to say that what the dogs suffer is indeed "torture". However, we believe information technology's more likely that this torture is due to savage catching, transportation and slaughter - rather than deliberate desire to prolong the hurting of the dog for gratification, entertainment or to improve the dish in any way.

12. How common are dog and cat eating in Red china?

Although we know that the practice of eating true cat and domestic dog meat has existed for many years in China, especially in Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou province and north eastern China, the frequency of consumption and the amount consumed is decreasing twelvemonth by year.

According to our "Survey of public attitudes to dog and true cat eating in China" (released 2015), eating true cat and dog meat is not universal nationwide. In cities exterior those listed above, 20% of respondents had eaten dog meat in the past two years, while in the aforementioned period, 1.7% had eaten true cat meat.

Inside the cities where dog meat eating is more favoured (including Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou province and north eastern People's republic of china) almost half of respondents had not eaten cats or dogs in the by two years. Among those who had, half had eaten information technology merely one time or twice a year.

Thanks to all the endeavour (from NGOs to individuals, both domestic and overseas) put into improving creature welfare in Prc and their work with local authorities, the number of consumers of cat and dog meat keeps reducing every year.

13. Do people swallow canis familiaris or cat due to lack of food or coin?

No, despite many of the animals beingness stolen, the meat is nonetheless not cheap. It is eaten for reasons of superstition or tonic or, arguably, tradition. If information technology was made illegal tomorrow nobody would starve.

Closeup of dogs being taken to market

14. If Chinese people don't want the domestic dog meat trade - so why don't they end it?

Influencing legislation is non like shooting fish in a barrel, however, there have been significant responses that will not have gone unnoticed. This includes close to 9m people voting online for proposed legislation to cease cat and domestic dog meat eating. Meanwhile - though dog theft stories are a constant in Chinese media - they still take the power to shock and in that location's a growing feeling that the fourth dimension is at present here for alter.

The eating of cat and dog meat beingness fabricated illegal would be widely welcomed and would cut criminal offence and cruelty.

Grassroots NGOs and dauntless animate being lovers are as well responsible for numerous dog and true cat rescues every year. This represents a huge undertaking because rescues start with stopping the truck but the care of the dogs or cats can go along for years afterwards.

15. What would happen to the dogs in Yulin if the festival was ended?

The nearly likely scenario is that increased year-on-yr pressure volition see the Yulin dog meat festival continue to reduce in size. Public pressure is already doing that and is very literally saving lives in the process. It is vital that this pressure is kept upwardly. If there is no appetite for consumption so the supply will also dwindle – every bit will the cruelty. In the event that a festival was suddenly stopped we're confident that local groups – with our back up – could rescue dogs.

In that location are many local rescue groups that have pushed for the end of the Yulin dog meat festival – with so many groups working so hard, we believe at that place would exist no shortage in support for caring for the dogs and ultimately finding them new homes.

Jill and Cat and Dog Welfare team