Activists: Dog meat fest in China to cancel the canine
BEIJING — Animal rights advocates are reporting a victory in their fight against an annual dog meat festival in China, saying that officials in the southern city of Yulin had agreed to ban the sale of dog meat in the week before the event.
No city officials reached Thursday were able to confirm the ban, and dog restaurants contacted by the BBC said they had not heard anything about it.
The Humane Society International and the Duo Duo Project, an animal advocacy group based in California, announced news of the ban Thursday, citing reports from Chinese animal rights advocates and dog meat traders in Yulin. According to the reports, anyone caught selling dog meat in the week leading up to the Yulin Litchi and Dog Meat Festival, which starts June 21, will face fines of up to $14,500, and possibly time in prison. While there have been previous attempts to curtail sales of dog meat, this is believed to be the first time that the government had threatened concrete penalties.
“I’m optimistic,” Peter J. Li, a China policy adviser to Humane Society International, said in a telephone interview. “Of course we understand that no law can completely deter the sale of dog meat in Yulin. But this ban suggests that the government is becoming more serious about taking action in a determined way.”
Animal rights supporters were calling it a “milestone victory” in the campaign to end the consumption of dogs in China.
Activists said notice of the temporary prohibition was conveyed orally to local restaurant owners and vendors. In the past, officials have mostly skirted the issue, insisting that the festival is a local tradition signaling the summer solstice and not organized or endorsed by the government.
The ban lasts only a week. Nevertheless, the embargo is still being celebrated as a positive step for animal welfare in China. “Even though these dog meat traders will probably return to business as usual, the ban sends a clear signal: From now on, your livelihood and your business will only become much more difficult,” Li said.