Americans love their pets. 70% of U.S households own at least one pet according to the 2021-2022 National Pet Owners Survey, and a lot of them talk about their animals as if they are family members.
Unfortunately in some other countries, pets are not cherished the same as in the U.S.
A screaming example is what happens in the region of Guangxi, southern China, during the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. For more than a decade, thousands of people crowd the city to attend the annual festival and eat dog meat stew, and crispy dog meat.
The festival is criticized by both people in China and abroad according to Newsweek for bad animal conditions and how dogs end up for sale in markets.
Chinese activists and local government officials joined forces for a rescue mission that happened 1,000 miles from the festival. 126 dogs were saved from a horror illegal slaughterhouse with dead dogs on the floor, pools of blood, dehairing machines, and knives.
“The activists also reported that processed dog meat was found at the facility. A pile of pet collars was found in the corner of the slaughterhouse, and some of the 126 dogs found alive were also wearing collars, disturbing proof that pet dogs — likely stolen from homes, streets, and farms many miles away —are all too often being killed for meat,” People Magazine shared on behalf of Humane Society International.
Such heartbreaking scenes of animal cruelty aren’t rare around the globe, unfortunately.
This year, thanks to the remarkable rescue operation successfully managed by Chinese activists and local authorities, the 126 dogs rescued escaped a dramatic potential death from dog meat traders.