Charity that rescued 400 canines from truck heading to the notorious Yulin dog meat festival claims many were stolen pets – and want to reunite the animals with their families

• A number of dogs were rescued on way to festival, where they faced slaughter
• The annual Yulin event sees up to 10,000 dogs and 4,000 cats killed and eaten
• Charity NoToDogMeat says many of the animals it rescued were stolen pets
• Majority of Chinese people do not support the dog and cat meat trade 

A number of dogs who were rescued from a truck heading to China’s notorious Yulin dog meat festival are stolen pets, according to an animal rescue charity.  

UK-based organisation NoToDogMeat, which runs shelters in several countries with a dog and cat meat trade, has revealed that Chinese campaigners recently saved almost 400 animals when they stopped the vehicle.

The festival, which was launched in 2010 by dog meat traders in an attempt to boost their flagging sales, sees the slaughter of up to 10,000 dogs and 5,000 cats. 

And according to campaigners, many of the animals eaten at the event are pets who have been stolen from loving homes.

Some of the dogs rescued by NoToDogMeat were wearing collars, leads and identity tags with their registration numbers on – suggesting they are well-cared for, and likely much-missed pets.

Zhao, who runs NoToDogMeat shelters in Hebei and Beijing, is pictured with a rescued dog – one of the many campaigners have rescued from the dog meat trade

Two of the dogs rescued by the charity. The larger one is wearing a collar and an ID tag, meaning he is a pet, and is likely much-missed by his family

Wearing ID tags, like this rescued dog, means the animals had homes from which they were likely stolen, to be sold and eaten

They now plan to try and track down the animals’ owners, so their dogs can return home.

In the meantime, they are being looked after at a holding shelter just outside the city of Xi’An, where they are being given food, water and emergency medical care.

They are due to be moved to safe places around China, including NoToDogMeat’s refuges.

Campaigner Zhao, who runs the NoToDogMeat charity’s shelters in Hebei and Beijing, has been on site since many of the dogs were moved to a holding shelter just outside the city of Xi’An.

He said: ‘Many of the dogs know sit and stay, and they still trust humans, we have seen many with tags on, and one was wearing a collar and lead still attached.

‘We will work to try and identify the owners, but our priority at the moment is to make sure all of the dogs are healthy and have a safe place to go.’

Some 386 dogs were rescued from the truck, but some are still being held at a municipal dog pound, and have not yet been released to campaigners.

Although the majority of Chinese citizens do not support the dog and cat meat trade, many of the animals are slaughtered and eaten during the Yulin festival. Two of the dogs rescued from the festival are pictured

Shelter staff care for the dogs after they were rescued en route to the Yulin dog meat festival, facing certain death

Zhao, who runs two NoToDogMeat shelters in China, is pictured with one of the rescue dogs – a blind chow chow 

The number of animals saved unexpectedly grew to 389 shortly after the rescue, when one of the dogs gave birth to three puppies.  

‘The idea that these innocent lives have now been saved fills us with joy, these puppies would have been born at Yulin,’ said Zhao.

‘We are working hard to give all of these dogs the care they need, as they have had a traumatic ordeal and need medical treatment, but they are safe now.’

Yulin is an ancient city in China known for holding a dog meat festival from 21 to 30 June, purportedly to celebrate the summer solstice where an estimated 10,000 dogs and cats are killed and eaten each year.

But despite often being marketed as a ‘traditional’ or ‘ancient’ festival, it has only been taking place for around a decade. 

It is estimated that in China alone, 10 to 15 million dogs are eaten annually – some figures say 50,000 per day and 4 to 5 million cats.

However, polls show the majority of Chinese people do not support the dog and cat meat trade.

Almost 400 animals were saved from the truck. They are currently receiving food, water, and emergency health care

Rescuers will take some of the dogs who were saved from the truck (pictured) from their current holding centre, and send them to safe shelters. They hope to reunite stolen pets with their families

Additionally, around 72 per cent of Yulin residents say they don’t eat dog meat regularly, despite traders’ efforts to promote it. 

The work of international organisations like NoToDogMeat as well as Chinese organisations and activists mean progress has been made in working towards an end to the brutal trade. 

Shenzhen and Zhuhai, became the first cities in mainline China to outlaw dog and cat meat sales and consumption in April 2020. 

Outside of China, dog meat is banned in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, Siem Reap province in Cambodia, and in 17 cities and regencies in Indonesia. 

However, around 30 million dogs a year are thought to be killed for meat in other parts of Asia.

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