Page 11 - Aruba Today
P. 11
WORLD NEWS A11
Tuesday 5 April 2016
Animal rights activists targeting
annual China dog meat festival
C. BODEEN mous Region. A man lights a cigarette as a cook roasts dogs at a restaurant in Yulin in south China’s Guangxi
Associated Press Some are trucked in hun- Zhuang Autonomous Region. Animal rights activists on Monday, April 4, 2016 are seeking to shut
BEIJING (AP) — Animal dreds of kilometers (miles) down an annual summer dog meat festival in southern China blamed for blackening the coun-
rights activists are seeking stuffed six or seven to a try’s international reputation as well as fueling extreme cruelty to canines and unhygienic food
to shut down an annual crate or small metal cage handling practices.
summer dog meat festival without food or water.
in southern China blamed Slaughtering takes place in (Chinatopix via AP)
for blackening the coun- front of the animals, usually
try’s international reputa- with a club to induce the
tion as well as fueling ex- pain and fear that restau-
treme cruelty to canines rant owners claim makes
and unhygienic food han- their adrenaline-rich meat
dling practices. tastier.
Activists from a coalition of “Psychologically and men-
groups said Monday that tally, they have already
they will continue press for died many times,” said Pe-
the festival to be banned ter J. Li, Humane Society In-
as well as legislation out- ternational’s China policy
lawing the slaughtering specialist.
of dogs and cats and the Dog meat also poses a
consumption of their meat. risk to human health by
While an estimated 10-20 spreading diseases such
million dogs are killed for as trichinellosis, rabies and
their meat each year in cholera, the Humane Soci-
China, the June 20 event in ety says. Guangxi is already
the city of Yulin has come one of China’s five worst
to symbolize the cruelty areas affected by human
and lack of hygiene asso- rabies, and Yulin ranks as
ciated with the largely un- one of the top 10 Chinese
regulated industry. cities in terms of cases, the
Yu Hongmei, director of organization says.
the VShine Animal Protec- Activists said rallies held
tion Association, said Chi- around the country to op-
na needs to follow the ex- pose dog eating, as well
ample of the vast majority as outrage on social me-
of developed nations that dia from the growing ranks
have banned eating dog of dog lovers, are already
and cat. having an effect. Dog
Restaurant owners say eat- meat restaurants have
ing dog meat is traditional been forced to take the
during the summer, while festival indoors and large-
opponents say the festi- scale open air dog meat
val that began in 2010 has consumption is no longer
no cultural value and was seen.
merely invented to drum However, a draft animal
up business. Since 2014, cruelty law remains mired
the local government has in China’s legislature and
sought to disassociate it- prosecution of dog thieves
self from the event, forbid- and those violating animal
ding its employees from transport laws remains lax,
attending and limiting its activists complain.
size by shutting down some Yu Dezhi, secretary general
dog markets and slaughter of Animal Protection Pow-
houses. er, said he was confident
Still, as many as 10,000 that shifting consump-
dogs, many of them sto- tion habits will eventually
len pets still wearing their help build the necessary
collars, are slaughtered for groundswell against the
the festival held deep in- Yulin festival and dog eat-
side the poor, largely rural ing in general.
Guangxi Zhuang Autono-
