A well-known dog meat festival in China opened yesterday with butchers selling cuts of canines and cooks frying the flesh despite rumors that authorities would impose a ban this year.
After initial reports that authorities would prohibit the meat at the summer solstice event in the southern town of Yulin, animal rights groups said vendors and officials reached a compromise setting a limit of two dogs displayed per stall.
However, multiple carcasses rested on some stalls at the main Nanqiao market, with stiff pointy tails, leathery yellow skin, eyes shut and bared teeth as if they were in a final growl.
Photo: AFP
Behind two long rows of dog butchers, other vendors sold more typical fare like cow tongues and pork hocks and trotters — but even they sold some dog parts, including liver.
The market also features poultry, tanks of fish and vegetables and fruits, including big bundles of lychees.
There was a heavy police presence outside the market and at all intersections.
“Despite the fact that there does not seem to be a ban on all dog meat, the festival appears to be smaller this year, with fewer dogs losing their lives to this cruel industry,” Irene Feng of Animals Asia told reporters.
Thousands of dogs have traditionally been killed during the festival in conditions opponents describe as brutal, with dogs beaten and boiled alive in the belief that the more terrified they are, the tastier the meat.
Dog meat sellers have said previously that protests have actually attracted greater attention and encouraged more people to eat the meat.
Between 10 million and 20 million dogs are killed for food annually in China, according to Humane Society International.
Dog meat consumption is not illegal in China, but animal rights groups have sought to stop its sale at the annual festival.
Outside the market, vendors sold stewed dog meat out of enormous steaming woks, packing portions into plastic bags for passing customers.
Some changed their “dog meat” signs to read “tasty meat” instead. One restaurant put yellow paper over the character for dog.
Another restaurant’s owner surnamed Yang said he sells rice noodle soup in the morning but lunch customers order dog.
“Business during the festival goes up about ninefold, but do not worry, we always manage to have enough dogs,” he said, adding that he planned to sell six dogs a day during the festival.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he would make a decision about how the US government would refer to the body of water commonly known as the Persian Gulf when he visits Arab states next week. Trump told reporters at the White House that he expects his hosts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will ask him about the US officially calling the waterway the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia. “They’re going to ask me about that when I get there, and I’ll have to make a decision,” Trump said. “I don’t want to hurt anybody’s
RSS