China's dog meat festival begins, activists hope this will be the last edition of world's worst food festival
The infamous dog meat festival of China has opened again this year, and will see slaughtering of dogs and selling of dog meat. However, activists are hoping that this year will be the last and the festival will end soon.
The Yulin dog meat festival is an annual celebration held in the city of Yulin in the Shaanxi province of China that attracts thousands of visitors. It is one of the most controversial food festivals in the world since the celebration sees thousands of dogs killed, skinned, and cooked with blow-torches.
However, animal rights activists are hopeful that the festival won’t survive for long and said the number of people attending the festival has declined this year. Reports also claimed that the Chinese government is drawing up new laws to stop the wildlife trade and the sale and slaughter of pets. Activists are also hoping that this year will be the last when the notorious dog festival is held. This year the festival is being celebrated from June 21 to June 30.
"I do hope Yulin will change not only for the sake of the animals but also for the health and safety of its people," Peter Li, China policy specialist with the Humane Society International, an animal rights group, said. "Allowing mass gatherings to trade in and consume dog meat in crowded markets and restaurants in the name of a festival poses a significant public health risk," he added.
Covid-19, which is believed to have originated in horseshoe bats before infecting humans in a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has made the country’s government to reassess its relationship with animals. The government has also pledged to prohibit wildlife trade. Shenzhen, in southeastern China, became the first Chinese city to ban the consumption of dogs in April. It has been said that the other cities will also follow the footsteps of Shenzhen.
Reportedly, China’s agriculture ministry has also decided to declare dogs as pets. "From what we understand from our conversations with meat sellers, leaders have said the consumption of dog meat won't be allowed in the future. But banning dog meat consumption is going to be hard and will take some time,” an animal rights activist, Zhang Qianqian, said.
The latest news comes after the reports of the sale of piles of butchered dogs came into light after animal rights campaigners captured the scene at a specialized dog meat market on the outskirts of Yulin city earlier this month. The activists also reportedly rescued ten puppies from another market outside the city after finding them in the cage, ready to be killed for consumption.
Jenifer Chen, one of the animal rights campaigners who was present at the scene, said she could not believe what she saw in the dog meat market. “I can't believe that anyone would even want to eat these adorable little darlings. My hands were trembling when I took the first puppy out of the cage. He kept licking my hands, and unbeknown to him, I could easily have been a dog meat eater,” Chen said.
