In this blog, part two of six of our Yulin Festival series, we will look at statistics from on-the-ground activists and animal welfare organizations tirelessly working to put a stop to the barbaric Yulin festival.
LET’S LOOK AT THE NUMBERS & FACTS
FACT #1: Approximately 10,000 dogs are slaughtered each year for the “festival”.
During its prime years, circa 2014- 2016, it was estimated that approximately 10,000 dogs were slaughtered every year for the Yulin festival. In 2020, the number dropped to around 3,000 based on local activist’s estimates.
While it is not a staple part of the regular Chinese diet, like pork or chicken, it is reported that as many as 10 million dogs and 4 million cats are slaughtered each year for their meat in China..
FACT #2: Countless dogs, including people’s pets, are stolen every year for the Yulin Festival.
A very unfortunate aspect to the Yulin festival, from an animal welfare and activist perspective, is that it is very difficult to get reliable statistics on the comings and goings of the festival. In fact, soliciting an accurate count of the number of attendees and the number of dogs slaughtered and eaten is nearly impossible.
While dog-eating is not illegal in your own home, the theft of dogs, transportation of animals across state lines and the sale of uninspected dog meat in restaurants, is absolutely illegal. Furthermore, the dog-meat industry is itself a spectacle in its wanton disregard for the suffering of the dogs and its blatant disregard for the law!
FACT #3: Dogs are brutally murdered by the hundreds and thousands every year for the Yulin Festival.
A big portion of the dogs that unfortunately end up in the dog-meat trade are either stray dogs or stolen pet dogs that are snatched from the street or poisoned with darts. They are then transported to holding facilities until there are enough dogs to be sent to their final destination in horribly cramped conditions with no food or water. Once these poor, helpless dogs arrive at their “death camp”, they are bludgeoned to death.
FACT #4: The dog thieves and butchers are not going to incriminate themselves.
Obviously, the dog-meat traders and butchers are not going to incriminate themselves by providing statistics on how many dogs they transported and killed. To make matters worse, the local Yulin government has completely washed their hands of the event, claiming it is not, and never has been, an official event. Because the dog eating practice is not illegal, the local government claims that their hands are tied in regards to policing the Yulin festival and often use “local culture” as an excuse.
Hence, the statistics and reporting on the festival are largely left to activists and charities who report, protest, and generate awareness on the event. Duo Duo Project has sent some local activists to perform a few brave undercover investigations.
Despite these roadblocks, we continue to fight to end this backward, inhumane “festival” that tortures and murders dogs for meat consumption.
We will never give up. Will you stand with us? Will you help us?
Join the movement.
Together, we will end this cruel Yulin Festival for good.