An amazing woman came to the rescue of 100 dogs that were facing slaughter in Yulin, China at a dog meat festival.
YULIN’S ANNUAL DOG MEAT FESTIVAL
The city of Yulin has hosted an annual festival to celebrate the summer solstice since 2009. Sounds fun, right? Except this is a dog meat festival that claims the lives of an estimated 10,000 dogs that are slaughtered and eaten.
The belief that dog meat brings good health and good luck is the stupid superstition that drives this festival, where pots are filled with freshly peeled lychees and freshly slaughtered dogs.
A HERO TO THE RESCUE
On Saturday, June 20, animal rights advocate Yang Xiaoyun traveled more than 1,000 miles from her home in Tianjin to Yulin to save dogs from being murdered.
She reportedly paid approximately $1,100 to rescue 100 dogs from winding up on the plates of the festival’s attendees. The dogs will return with her to Tianjin where she will care for them at her animal sanctuary.
Yang began rescuing animals in 1995 after the death of her husband. She started the Tianjin Stray Animal Rescue Centre where she cares for some 1,500 dogs and 200 cats all by herself. This retired school teacher has devoted her life to rescuing animals in need.
PUBLIC OPPOSITION
The public’s outrage toward the Yulin dog meat festival grows every year, and that can largely be attributed to the growth of social media. The festival attracts local protestors, but also generates lots of criticism on social media. Animal lovers, animal rights groups, and celebrities are vocal with their condemnations of the festival.
Comedian and animal-rights advocate Ricky Gervais is extremely vocal in his opposition of the festival, or, as he appropriately clarifies, “It should be called a Dog Torture Festival. Because that’s what it is.”
Humane Society International and other animal rights groups have launched campaigns and petitions in an effort to end the dog meat festival in Yulin.
Please help stop the #YulinDogMeatFestival https://t.co/8qjoVQ1Y6X pic.twitter.com/MoCSgYlIfw
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) June 15, 2015
With the increasing pressure from the opposition, there is hope that the festival will come to an end. But, for now, the dogs are left waiting for hero humans like Yang Xiaoyun to rescue them from death.
