A growing number of Chinese activists are calling for the city of Yulin, China, to cancel its annual dog-meat festival, slated for June 21st, says NPR. Since 2010, the city has butchered thousands of dogs, many of which were originally pets that were stolen from their owners, sometimes by gangs who sedate them with poisoned darts. Activists in the UK, Canada and U.S. have long campaigned against the country’s dog-eating traditions. But now that more Chinese citizens own pets, the practice of consuming dog is increasingly unpopular domestically, too.
As case in point, China was riveted earlier this year by the story of a blind man whose service dog was stolen, likely by meat-hunters. The dog was mysteriously returned after two days thanks to a massive social media campaign. As popular opinion shifts, restaurants in Yulin no longer kill the dogs in the street, but instead try to hide the act behind closed doors.
Some experts say that the dog-meat trade spreads rabies, as humans come into contact with infected animals. Dog meat cooked in restaurants also is not inspected, so could carry disease. The World Health Organization warned that a 2008 outbreak of cholera in Vietnam may have been related to eating dog meat.
“Several governments in Asia — including the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand — have banned the butchering of dogs for meat. In China, there are no laws against the slaughter,” says NPR. As for the city of Yulin, it plans to hold the festival regardless of a mounting #StopYulin social media campaign. The city argues that killing dogs is no different than slaughtering pigs or chickens.