A TOUCHING video shows the moment a puppy is rescued from its gruesome fate amid a dog-eating festival in China, where pooches are killed and grilled.
Biianka Marie works with the Plush Bear’s Shelter – a rescue centre dedicated to helping put an end to the Chinese dog and cat meat trade – who set out to the 2023 Lychee and Dog Meat Festival.
The notorious 10-day-long event, which takes place in Yulin, Southern China every year from 21 to 30 June, is said to be the site of thousands of dogs’ cruel slaughtering.
There, the 39-year-old and her colleagues set about doing what they could to save pups from being butchered in markets where they would be openly sold as food.
Heart-wrenching footage shows digital marketer Biianka and her colleagues standing by a stall in one of the markets, where an unidentified man appears to be selling a small, red-coloured dog.
Biianka and co, left heartbroken by the pup’s forlorn appearance, buy the pooch – simply known as Red – off the man, who nonchalantly grabs him round the chest and stuffs him into a sack.
The clip then cuts to Red looking worryingly up at the group out of his sack as they leave the market.
After being taken to a safe place, the video shows a much happier looking Red receiving fresh water and a thorough check-up from the vet to get him back fighting fit.
Separate gruesome images of the market show the grim fates of pooches who were not so lucky, having been butchered and laid out, their corpses on display for passersby to purchase and cook.
Biianka, who is still in Yulin in an effort to save the lives of other dogs, said today: “We were walking around the live dog market, where people come to buy live dogs for meat or trade them.
“We saw a little puppy in a cage on the back of a moped. He looked forlorn and despondent and was covered in ticks.
“We bought his freedom and watched aghast as they put him in a bag like an inanimate object.
“[We] could see the confusion in his eyes , as the bag was handed over.
“He is a sweet little puppy, timorous but is happy to be handled and gives us lots of tail wags.”
Biianka added: “He is pure innocence and it’s unbearable to think what would have happened. We believe he knows he is safe now and is recovering at the vet.
“Once he has a clean bill of health and we are happy he has been rehabilitated he will absolutely be up for adoption.”
Biianka estimated the Plush Bear’s Shelter, which is based in Jilin province in Northern China, has rescued about 1,000 dogs so far, with 35 of them being saved just from this year’s meat festival.
Biianka went on to say that the organisation also provides post-rescue veterinary care and a safe haven for rehabilitation, adding: “Many of our dogs have been adopted overseas too.”
Their greatest challenge, according to Biianka, is “gross neglect and lack of law enforcement by the authorities. The dog meat trade violates many laws but very little action is taken to thwart it.”
The Dog Meat Festival has sparked widespread outrage and calls for its abolition from animal rights activists both within China and around the world.
While its supporters argue that it’s a long-standing cultural tradition, critics condemn the festival for animal cruelty and the inhumane treatment of dogs.
According to the Plush Bear’s Shelter, the Chinese dog meat trade accounts for one-third of the world’s dog meat consumption and poses an animal welfare issue as well as a “food safety disaster”.
Despite the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture declaring dogs would be classified as “companion animals” back in 2020, the country still has not imposed any guidelines or regulations on the issue.
