Undercover Video Exposes Severe Cruelty Inside China’s Yulin Dog Meat Festival

Undercover footage released exclusively today by nonprofit Last Chance For Animals (LCA) exposes the horrific abuse and torture endured by dogs inside slaughterhouses at China’s Yulin Dog Meat Festival. LCA is the first organization to document the unsanitary conditions and inhumane treatment of dogs inside Yulin’s slaughterhouses. The footage was shot prior to the June 21, 2016, start of Yulin’s annual dog meat festival where an estimated 10,000 dogs are killed during the summer solstice.

The Yulin dog meat festival was launched by dog meat traders in 2009 as a commercial enterprise to boost flagging sales of dog meat. An estimated 10,000 dogs will be killed and eaten during the festival. Many of these dogs are stolen pets and are transported hundreds of miles over provincial borders to reach Yulin. The slaughterhouses operate without the requisite certificate of inspection as mandated by China’s Agriculture Ministry.

Video taken by LCA’s investigators inside the Yulin area slaughterhouses documented cruel transport, handling and killing of dogs, including:

• dogs tightly packed inside transport cages and left for hours on the sidewalks adjacent to markets
• slaughterhouse workers ramming and hitting terrified dogs with metal pipes to move them from large transport trucks
• dogs dragged by their necks with metal tongs and bludgeoned with metal pipes as an ineffective means of stunning them
• dogs having their throats cut open and slowly bleeding to death while visibly gasping for breath
• dogs exhibiting signs of severe distress as they stand in pools of blood and watch their cage mates die

LCA’s investigative team traveled to Yulin before the festival started to document the cruel slaughter. LCA will present its findings to the Yulin city council and demand that the slaughterhouses be closed. While the city of Yulin has withdrawn their sponsorship of the festival they have failed to enforce existing laws and regulations violated by the dog meat trade, including laws that regulate animal disease control, food safety, trans-provincial dog transport, and youth protection.

WARNING: This video contains graphic footage not suitable for some audiences

To learn more about the investigation, visit: www.stopdogmeat.com.

“LCA’s investigation inside the area’s dog slaughterhouses spotlights the cruel and illegal practices that Yulin’s city government can no longer turn a blind eye to,” said Adam Wilson, Director of Investigations for LCA. “The city council must act now to stop the illegal slaughter in Yulin. The festival is condemned by millions of Chinese citizens who overwhelmingly support the passage of animal cruelty laws that would ban the killing of dogs and provide basic protection for all animals in China.”

Last Chance for Animals (LCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and public awareness campaigns. Since its formation in 1984, LCA has succeeded as one of the nation’s pioneer animal advocacy organizations. Working internationally, LCA’s Sam Simon Special Investigations Unit documents abuse in research labs, puppy mills, factory farms, and the entertainment industry, and works with prosecutors to enforce animal cruelty laws. LCA’s educational and outreach programs have empowered the public to make positive changes for the animals in their own communities. For more information, please visit http://www.lcanimal.org/.