Animal activists call for halt of dog meat festival in China

Chinese animal activists have demanded a ban on an annual 'Dog Meat Festival' after media reports said around 10,000 dogs are killed during the event held in southern China.
It is estimated that around 10,000 dogs are killed during the annual festival being held in Yulin, a city in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, state-run Global Times reported today.
More than 20 Chinese animal protection organisations, including the China Small Animal Protection Association, joined together to sign an urgent appeal, calling for the halt of the dog-eating festival, scheduled to take place tomorrow.
This appeal has gained wide support online, the daily said.

In developed areas of China, dogs are increasingly viewed as people's friends and treated as family members.
In these places, eating dogs is rejected as uncivilised behaviour.

However, the tradition of eating dog is still stubbornly kept in many places.
Dog meat, to some, is no different from pork or beef, it said.
It's not the first time a dog meat festival has undergone media scrutiny.
The Dog Meat Festival of Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, was called off in 2011 due to intense public pressure.
Animal rights advocates, some with an aggressive approach, are increasingly clashing with dog traders.
A truck with full load of dogs was stopped at a highway outside Beijing in April 2011.

But due to a lack of animal shelters, those dogs that were rescued on the scene couldn't find a proper place to stay for long, the daily report said.
At this time, it appears that the festival of Yulin will go on as planned.
Quite a number of local residents hope the tradition can be kept to maintain the city's special flavour, it said adding that the tradition has crossed swords with modern views at this festival in a small city.