Dog-meat festival

Dog-meat festival

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Butchers kill dogs by stunning them with hammers and strangling them with nimble hands. The animals hang for sale on hooks after being grilled with blowtorches.

That is a typical scene in Yulin, in China’s southern region of Guangxi, at the dog-meat eating festival held every summer. The practice has become increasingly controversial in China in the past five years or so.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

“What’s the difference between eating dogs and other domesticated animals such as cows, pigs and sheep?” said Ning, a local resident.

I met Ning at a beautiful farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. He travelled there with family and friends to eat what he called a traditional delicacy, accompanied with pork and vegetables, and served with local liquors made from lychees.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

“Like anyone, I had pet dogs when I was a child,” said the man, who didn’t want to have his photo taken. “We distinguish between pet dogs and dogs for food. Dog meat is not our daily meal and most of us eat dog meat only a few times a year, on special occasions.”

Many residents complained to me that this tradition has been misrepresented by news media. Before I travelled to Yulin, a colleague had told me it might be difficult to take photos because of this feeling.

However my TV colleague and I were able to find a local resident called Xioa who was willing to show us around the town.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

He took us to a small dog-meat restaurant first. It was after lunch but the place was still full of customers.

“Dog meat is delicious and good for our health,” many customers told me. “Why are we Chinese stopping this tradition?”

On the grounds of cultural diversity, it could be said that their position is understandable. However seeing dog slaughterhouses and markets gave me second thoughts.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

In a back alley behind a dark and shabby slaughterhouse, screaming from dogs assaulted my ears and the dirty ground was drenched with blood. Slaughtered animals were piled up on the floor.

The butchers and the dog-meat vendors were very aggressive towards anyone who tried to take pictures. They hurled abuse at us and one of the butchers threatened us with a big wooden stick.

That kind of abuse and a lack of awareness of animal rights among vendors have made many Chinese sign online petitions seeking a ban on the festival.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A market for live dogs was a sad place to witness. Non-pedigrees, which usually have yellow and black fur, were crammed into small cages. Yulin people favour these dogs over others, saying their meat is tastier.

I had to be very discreet while taking photos.

Some of the animals, seemingly worn out by illness, appeared to have been treated badly. Frightened and sweltering dogs panted in small cages and the vendors treated them like freight.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

This market has become a battlefield between dog-meat advocates and animal right activists who want to save man’s best friend.

Dozens of campaigners, like the one pictured above, came to the market to save dogs from the chopping block by buying them from traders.

But first the activists had to face an argument with some upset locals defending dog-meat consumption.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Dozens of animal-rights activists unfurled banners in front of the city government office on the morning of festival day, demanding an end to the practice.

. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

I don’t want to judge whether it’s right or wrong to eat dog meat. What did bother me were the poor conditions I saw for their slaughter and how they were treated beforehand.

Whether or not you consider dogs to be man’s best friends, it seems hard to disagree with the argument that they deserve better than that.

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Slideshow

Dogs are kept in a cage at Dashichang dog market.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Dogs are kept in a cage at Dashichang dog market.

Butchered dogs are piled up in a slaughterhouse.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Butchered dogs are piled up in a slaughterhouse.

A butcher grills a butchered dog.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A butcher grills a butchered dog.

A cook hangs dog meat on a hook.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A cook hangs dog meat on a hook.

A chef cooks dog meat.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

A chef cooks dog meat.

Dogs and cats bought by animal right activists are kept near a dog market.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Dogs and cats bought by animal right activists are kept near a dog market.

Dogs purchased by animal right activists are kept in a temporary shelter.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Dogs purchased by animal right activists are kept in a temporary shelter.

An animal right activist takes care of a rescued dog.
. YULIN, CHINA. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

An animal right activist takes care of a rescued dog.