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Yulin Draws Foreigners Who Dine on Dog Meat

Posted: 06/23/2014 11:26 am

yulin dog eating festival guangxi protest animal rights activistsYulin residents trying to preserve their custom of dog eating from animal rights activists now have new supporters: foreigners.

READ: Yulin Dog Eating Festival: “The More You Protest,
The Better Our Business”

The annual Yulin Summer Solstice Dog Eating Festival took place on June 21 in Guangxi Province, and for all the controversy it has attracted from media and protesters, it has also attracted two foreigners who were photographed emerging from a restaurant that serves dog meat, reported Caijing.

yulin dog eating festival guangxi protest animal rights activists

Though no photographs have shown them dining on canine, photographs show the couple, a man and a woman, surrounded by a crowd that cheer for them as they walk away from the restaurant.

READ: Yulin Dog Sellers Openly Taunt Dog Lovers: “Buy the Dog or it Dies!”

Despite having attracted so many people, including these foreigners, the Yulin dog eating festival has been hit by a steep decline in sales, contrary to the claims of a local restaurant. According to Beijing News, only 2,000 dogs were consumed at the 48 participating restaurants at this year’s festival, down from an estimated 10,000 dogs two years ago.

yulin dog eating festival guangxi protest animal rights activists

Cheng Taotao, the Department Head of the Yulin Municipal Food and Drug Administration, confirms the decline in sales. He said as of June 16, only 30% of restaurants that had served dogs last year are doing so again this year. Of Yulin’s 1,395 restaurants, 17 have voluntarily stopped serving dog meat while four have been closed, reports Xinhua. Furthermore, quarantine inspections stopped two vehicles carrying 2,000 dogs and prevented them from being put on the market.

RELATED: Doctors In Yulin Told To Stay Away From Dog Eating Festival

Cheng cites the controversy for hurting sales, and also inflaming tensions between animal rights activists and dog eaters.

yulin dog eating festival guangxi protest animal rights activists

On the evening of June 21 at around 8pm, an altercation between the two sides turned violent after a Yulin resident that supports eating dog was struck in the mouth on Jiangbin Road. An eyewitness named Lu said the strike was strong enough to draw blood. Police came to separate both factions until crowds finally dispersed at 10:50pm.

yulin dog eating festival guangxi protest animal rights activists

Local residents remain defiant, despite being under the glare of the international media. Banners (seen above) read:

Thank you for allowing our countrymen to witness the spirit of unity here in Yulin.
As much as we love to promulgate the culture of eating lychees and dog meat, we love obeying the law even more.

The eating of dogs is not illegal in China.

While strong convictions may have lead to violence in some, others are dealing with their concerns in a different way. Yang Xiaoyun, who was earlier seen begging on her knees to save a dog, is now reported to have spent RMB 70,000 to rescue 200 dogs.

Related:

Photos: China News, Caijing

Haohao

Under Immense Pressure, Yulin Cancels Infamous Dog Eating Festival [UPDATED]

Posted: 06/17/2014 11:49 am

dog eating festival

UPDATE 3, 7:06pm June 22: The Yulin Summer Solstice Dog Eating Festival did in fact take place on June 21; please see here for our report.

UPDATE 2, 10:29am June 19: A new development indicates the Yulin dog eating festival has already been held after all. Organizers moved the date to avoid detection.

UPDATE 1, 8:42 June 18: A comment from Sina suggests these statements were made by the local government in order to completely dissociate itself from the dog eating festival by cancelling tours for the festival and completely withdraw support.

***

The Yulin Dog Eating Festival has drawn so much criticism from around China that it appears to have been cancelled, according to Caijing.

The annual festival was to be held on June 21 as part of a long tradition in Yulin, Guangxi in which approximately 10,000 dogs are consumed.

READ: Animal Activists Clash with Dog-Serving Guangxi Restaurant

A government official not willing to be identified gave this statement:

The government of Guangxi and the city of Yulin have decided to withdraw from hosting the dog eating festival because the pressure given to us by people from all walks of life is simply too much!

The cancellation seems to have been confirmed by local residents. A young boy at a concealed slaughterhouse for dogs said on June 12:

The government is not letting us sell any (dog meat). After killing the dogs today, there won’t be any more dogs to kill. (Anymore new) dogs from outside the city aren’t allowed in. 

A local dog meat proprietor complained about the withdrawal of support from the government:

I still remember the words that department head Li Junqing from the Food and Drug Inspection agency had said at last year’s festival, ‘If you dare to interfere with the eating of dog meat, they will pick up a knife and kill you!’ Didn’t think that so soon after saying that, the government’s position would reverse so suddenly.

READ: Shocking: The Brazen Capture of a Dog in Broad Daylight in Guangdong

The local Yulin government had previously tried to dissociate itself from the local dog eating festival. Under mounting public pressure, the Yulin municipal government announced on June 6 the dog eating festival would be a private and commercial venture not associated with the government.

The local government had made concessions earlier to try to reach a compromise between local residents and animal rights activists. The government issued a directive to local residents to hide any advertising of dog meat on restaurant signs and to refrain from slaughtering dogs in public places.

Furthermore, an order given by the government to doctors and nurses to refrain from eating dog meat has also been revealed to include all Yulin civil servants.

Related:

Photo: OCCUPYLAC

Haohao
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