Animal rights groups are preparing to rescue dozens of dogs from a barbaric ‘festival’ in China where the pets are not only fed but first tortured because the adrenaline rush allegedly ‘enhances a man’s sexual power’.
Every year thousands of dogs are rounded up and sent to the 10-day Yulin Litchi and Dog Meat Festival in southern China. It is supposed to start from Wednesday.
It is estimated that 10,000 dogs – including lychees – are eaten every year.
‘No one knows how terrible it is. I’ve been there,’ Los Angeles animal advocate Bobby Leonard, who has traveled to China multiple times, told Newstimesuk.com in an exclusive interview.
‘There are a lot of people out there who are against it,’ adds Leonard, a skin-care expert who donates 20% of his profits to animal charities. ‘They are lawyers who really fight.’
Thousands of dogs, both strays and pets, are taken off the streets or stolen from families and then locked in small wire cages where they are transported across China to Yulin.
Dog carcasses are displayed for sale at a market ahead of the 2014 Yulin Dog Eating Festival
A woman eats dog meat and lychee at the festival in 2015 Many Chinese believe that eating meat during the summer solstice brings extra good luck and protection from the summer heat
Mark Ching travels to China to rescue dogs at the festival. He had to pretend he was a restaurant owner who was going to serve pet food
Dog-eating is common in China and other parts of Asia and has been for hundreds of years, but owners of rescued dogs say what happens in Yulin every year is truly horrifying.
The dogs are tortured in the most unspeakable ways before being killed with the belief that the high adrenaline released by the pain improves the quality of the meat, Sheena Gao, board member of the Animals Hope and Wellness Foundation, which has two shelters in China and Los Angeles, explained.
Festival goers also believe that this ‘superior’ meat enhances male sexual performance, prevents disease and brings good luck.
‘Dogs are burnt, boiled alive, skinned alive. It’s absolutely terrifying,’ said Gao, who along with composer Raiko led a fundraiser hosted by Yoga Stops Yulin and In Defense of Animals on June 11 at Raffy Lounge in Malibu.
Thousands of dogs, both strays and pets, are taken off the streets or stolen from families and then put into small wire cages where they are transported across China to Yulin in preparation for the festival, Gao said.
“The dogs and cats in these trucks go days without food or water and when they arrive they are extremely sick or injured,” Gao said. ‘Our ultimate goal is to stop the horrible Yulin Dog Meat Festival.’
There are still many people in China – let alone America – who are unaware of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, Susan Prava hopes to change.
Praver adopted her 7-year-old part-Samoyed part-American Eskimo Chingli in 2017 after reading online about dog rescues from China.
‘When I read about this I was horrified and knew I had to do something. I needed to be involved. I couldn’t even sleep thinking about it,’ said the luxury real estate agent.
‘It’s not just the dog that eats it, they think the more they torture the dog, the better the meat.’
‘I saw a picture of my dog online. He was all dirty and bloody. They were going to hang him until a wonderful man named Mark Ching, after whom my dog is named, stepped in and saved him.
‘He was buying the dogs at the festival, pretending to be a restaurant owner.’
A pioneer in bringing awareness to the infamous festival, Ching founded Animal Hope and Wellness and has gone on to save thousands of dogs.
‘No one knows how terrible it is. I’ve been there,’ Bobby Leonard holds his new pug Josephine, rescued from China.
Amber Doughty adopted her 7-year-old Chow/Shiba Inu mix from Animal Hope and Wellness, a rescue group that brings in dogs from China. ‘Griffin is my baby, my fur baby,’ said Doughty
Anya McGrath adopted a 6-year-old Chinese village dog from the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation in Los Angeles in 2020 after he was rescued while visiting the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
Mira stretches out on a yoga mat at a Malibu fundraiser. ‘He was really skinny and really timid. When I got her, you could tell she was nursing. We don’t know what happened to her puppies,’ McGrath said.
‘It’s not just what the dog eats, the more they torture the dog, the better the meat seems,’ says luxury real estate agent Susan Praver, pictured with her dog Chingley.
Composer Rayko (left) and violinist Shina Gao led the fundraiser held at Rafi Lounge in Malibu, known for its tranquil atmosphere and wellness programs, including yoga, meditation and traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.
‘The majority of people in China who know about the festival are against it. And then there are those who don’t even know it exists, which is why social media and spreading the word is so important,’ Praver added.
While some may argue that the subject is too gruesome, Amber Doughty explains that a person doesn’t have to see the photos and videos to support the cause.
‘I’m more comfortable reading about it because I can’t see the visuals. It’s heartbreaking,’ said Doughty, who adopted her 7-year-old Chow/Shiba Inu mix from a rescue group that brings dogs back from China.
‘I saw him and I felt like I had to meet him. You just know. When I took him to the vet, they could see grooves in his gums so he was probably curling up against the fence trying to get out. He was missing some teeth, Doughty said.
‘Griffin is my baby, my fur baby,’ added Doty who agrees that awareness is the first step to a solution. ‘
‘More people need to know about this. It cannot be ignored. When I bring up the subject, some people say stop, I don’t want to hear about it.
‘But not hearing about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening,’ argued Doughty. ‘I want to be the voice of the voiceless.’
Anya McGrath adopted 6-year-old Mira, a Chinese village dog, after she was rescued on her way to the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in 2020.
‘He was really skinny and really timid. When I got her, you could tell she was nursing. We don’t know what happened to her puppies. He seemed really sad, like depressed,’ McGrath said. ‘But he’s much happier now.’
McGrath, a vegetarian. Says all animals should be protected ‘If people knew what really happened to these animals, they would think differently.’
Eating dog meat in China dates back hundreds of years, but the Yulin festival only began in 2009 and is held on the Sumer Solstice, which this year falls on Wednesday next week.
The idea is that eating meat at this time of year brings extra good luck and is supposed to protect from the summer heat.
Most argue that the festival is a marketing ploy for a lucrative business where restaurant owners and traders come to eat and buy ‘medicinal’ meat.
“The dogs and cats in these trucks go days without food or water and when they arrive they are extremely sick or injured,” Gao said. ‘Our ultimate goal is to stop the horrible Yulin Dog Meat Festival.’
People in China and other parts of Asia have been eating dog meat for centuries, but the Yulin festival only started in 2009.
‘More people need to know about this. It cannot be ignored,’ said Amber Doughty. ‘When I bring it up, some people say stop, I don’t want to hear about it. But not hearing it doesn’t mean it’s not happening,’
‘It feels good to save a dog from such a horrible death,’ said Gao. ‘But we also need to understand that this is just a drop in the bucket and for every dog saved, not hundreds more’
Festival goers believe the tortured ‘enhanced’ meat enhances male sexual performance, prevents disease and brings good luck.
Contrary to this belief, dog meat has no known health benefits, and after a long trip to the city of Yulin in Guangxi Province, many dogs become ill with canine influenza, infections, parvo, distemper, and/or parasites.
‘We are seeing the younger generation in China getting more involved. When they hear truckloads of caged dogs and cats making their annual trek to Yulin, they do what they can to stop the truck and rescue the animals,’ Praver said. ‘But more awareness is needed.’
All those who have rescued animals bound for the festival admit there is only so much they can do. ‘It feels good to save a dog from such a horrible death,’ said Gao.
‘But we also have to realize this is just a drop in the bucket and for every dog saved, not hundreds more.’
To support Yulin’s dog rescue efforts, visit: https://www.animalhopeandwellness.org/china-shelter-available-dogs-cats
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