Dogs Slated for Death Rescued by Activists

As many of our readers may have seen in one of our previous blog posts about the upcoming Yulin Dog Meat Festival, China is currently counting down towards the slaughtering and eating of thousands of dogs (and cats), set to commence today, the 21st of June.

Since the publishing of that post, the festival continues to charge ahead. Despite this sad news, however, there has been one occurrence that inspires hope: thirty-four animals (both dogs and cats) have been rescued by activists from Humane Society International. According to the rescuers, "The animals were found crammed four or five to a cage at a slaughterhouse" and many were wearing collars, which attests to the fact that a large portion of the animals may be stolen pets. Fortunately for these few dozen rescued animals, they are now in good hands and will be seen by veterinarians before being put up for adoption.

But thousands of other animals aren't quite so lucky. We only hope that going forward, the slaughterers rethink their actions and see how choosing to eat less meat can have benefits for the animals, for themselves, and for the planet at large, especially after a petition speaking against the festival has made its way to President Xi Jingping's desk.

Written by Danika Lam