Posted on 06/23/2020 2:50:30 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Beijing (AFP) -- Volunteers at a Beijing dog shelter hand out treats to dozens of rescued animals which had been bound for a controversial dog meat festival under way this week in southern China.
The annual event in Yulin city always provokes outrage from animal rights activists, but this year they hope the coronavirus epidemic will be the death knell of a tradition they see as cruel.
Activists save hundreds of dogs every year by raiding slaughterhouses and intercepting trucks. They say traders steal pets and strays and transport them long distances, mostly to the country's south.
Dog meat is traditionally believed to be good for the health in certain parts of China, but the habit has been in steady decline as more and more affluent urban dwellers choose to keep the animals as pets.
Amid growing concerns about hygiene, China fast-tracked laws banning the consumption and trade of wildlife.
While the law does not apply to dog meat, Shenzhen and Zhuhai -- southern cities not far from Yulin -- banned the consumption of dogs in April, becoming the first cities in China to do so.
And last month the agriculture ministry reclassified dogs as companion animals, not livestock, though it did not explicitly prohibit eating them.
(Excerpt) Read more at france24.com ...
I wonder if Obama will go. Speaking of which, has anyone seen his dog since the photo op of getting “Bo”?
I don’t know if it’s true or not; but I heard that the Chinese didn’t start eating dogs; cats; bats; etc. Until Mao took over and millions starved to death.
Animals eating animals do we need to know anything more about these people?
My Grandfather was stationed in China until early 1946. He said all the GI’s ate steak, but they noticed all the dogs mysteriously disappeared.
Sounds like the festival this year is going to be a little ruff
They are primitves!
Been to the area several times and have a family connection to the area. I think your statement is basically true. The statement I've been told when there is "Because of Mao, we learned to eat everything on four legs except the table." In some places, the 'delicacies' go well beyond '4 legs'. I remember being served a dish in Guilin and when I asked what it was, it took me a minute to figure out that the translation basically came back as 'bee pupa'.
Barack Obama never denounced the practice. He even boasted of eating it behind his mama’s back.
All cultures are equal.
There were students who killed and ate their teacher.
First he ate the bow wow
Then he bow wowed to the Saudi king keeper
of his faith
"....The eating of dog meat in China dates back thousands of years. Dog meat (Chinese: 狗肉; pinyin: gǒu ròu) has been a source of food in some areas from around 500 BC and possibly even earlier. It has been suggested that wolves in southern China may have been domesticated as a source of meat.[68] Mencius, the philosopher, talked about dog meat as being an edible, dietary meat.[69] It was reported in the early 2000s that the meat was thought to have medicinal properties, and had been popular in northern China during the winter, as it was believed to raise body temperature after consumption and promote warmth.[70][71] Historical records have shown how in times of food scarcities (as in war-time situations), dogs could also be eaten as an emergency food source.[72]....."
And whatever the festival-goers don’t eat, they can take home in a doggy bag.
I’m told it dates back over several thousand years, though the last 4 or 5 centuries more of a protein source for the lower classes. The upper classes kept them as pets. Until Mao, who banned them in the mid 60s. Dog owners were publicly shamed. After Mao’s death, the ban ended and dogs as pets became popular again. Though they still eat them. They have some nasty little ones, I blame the owners.
Do different breeds taste different??? Do some taste like chicken???
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