JOIN OUR GLOBAL CAMPAIGN
Protest against the inhumane cat/dog meat trade and Dog Meat Festival in China
THE
“DOG MEAT FESTIVAL” and
the cat/dog meat trade
MUST END!
SIGN PETITION
What is TACN doing to end the cat/dog meat trade:
- Awareness – raise awareness online and offline
- Education – humane education programmes and more
- SNAP – control stray population via neuter/spay and microchipping
- Law – continuous lobbying to demand animal protection laws
- Enforcement – work with authorities to enforce the existing laws
Tweet #EndDogMeatTrade
YOU CAN HELP
Your donation will help us:
- Continue our SNAP programme to neuter/spay & microchip more stray animals
- Support rescue events across China
- Provide care and support for animals rescued from the cat/dog meat trade
- Campaign to raise awareness about the cat/dog meat trade worldwide
- Setup humane education programmes in schools and local communities
- Give the animals a second chance in life and the opportunity to find a loving home
TAKE MORE ACTION
DOWNLOAD PDF
下载打印版呼吁书
Download the PDF petition letter and post it to the address below:
苏海棠市长（Yulin City Mayor）
中国广西玉林市玉州区玉东大道1号市委
邮编：537000
P.R.China
王恺书记（Yulin Secretary）
中国广西玉林市玉州区玉东大道1号市委
邮编：537000
P.R.China
Download the PDF petition signature form and help us get more support:
PETITION FORM
Inquire TACN:
The fight to end 2015 Yulin dog meat festival STARTS NOW
Petitioning Chen Wu:
We write to urge you and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government to cancel the “Dog Meat Festival” to be held on June 21 in Yulin. As foreigners who have great respect for the Chinese people and Chinese civilization, we are saddened to learn that the Yulin “Dog Meat Festival” still exists in a rapidly modernizing society. We believe that this event has no place in century. We oppose to the “festival” for the following five reasons:
1. China is the country with the second largest number of rabies cases in the world.
Yulin government itself admitted in 2007 that the city was one of the hardest hit by rabies outbreaks. According to a news report, 338 rabies cases were reported in Yulin between 2002 and 2006. All the infected people died from this disease. The annual economic cost to Yulin amounted to 6.67 million Yuan. Based on the toll the disease is taking on the health of the city’s residents, the authorities in Yulin should be doing everything they can to prevent rabies. Dogs transported for days in crowded conditions to Yulin and with compromised immunity system are known to be vulnerable to the spread of illnesses. Allowing the “Dog Meat Festival” to continue is a sign of a lack of vigilance at the very least. Given the national government’s policy on rabies prevention and control, it might even be construed as wanton contempt and total negligence. In the interest of public health, disease prevention, and enforcing the national government’s policies, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government should put an end to the event.
2. The “Dog Meat Festival” can potentially undermine social stability, aggravate existing social conflicts, and sabotage the Central Government’s efforts to build a harmonious society.
A significant number of the dogs sold on the market, according to Chinese activist investigations, are stolen household pets or the watch dogs of the rural families. The recent lynching of dog thieves by victims of the dog theft indicates the potentially explosive nature of confrontations between dog owners and the dog meat industry. Frankly, the action by the villagers in Guangxi was a reaction to the fact that local law enforcement had long failed to protect the interest of the dog owners. Allowing the “Dog Meat Festival” to continue is like endorsing dog theft, which supplies the dog-meat industry. It could seriously damage the authority of the government and the credibility of state laws. If dog theft continues, confrontations between dog owners and animal lovers and the dogmeat industry could intensify, potentially leading to mass unrest. For Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government, a way to prevent such a situation from developing is to end the Yulin “Dog Meat Festival.”
3. The Yulin “Dog Meat Festival” is a food safety danger.
Dogs sold on the market are sick and dying animals. They suffer from horrendous conditions during trans-provincial long-distance journeys. China does NOT have dog farms. There are no national or local standards to ensure the safety of dog meat since dogs are not raised for food. Sick dogs can pass illnesses to humans in the course of transport, slaughter and food preparations. Contaminated dog meat can also make the eaters sick. For sale in the market, there is also reportedly meat from poisoned dogs. Food safety is no small matter that the government can ignore. It is therefore imperative for Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government to shut down the “Dog Meat Festival” and prevent the onset of a SARS-like disease and mass deaths.
4. The Yulin “Dog Meat Festival” exposes young people to violence.
During the festival, the streets of Yulin flow with dog blood, since dogs are often slaughtered in public. Have the dog meat dealers ever considered the reaction of the people who walk by? Have they ever considered the feelings of the young children who witness the brutality on their way to school? The wanton imposition of bloody scenes on the public can cause severe mental distress and psychological trauma to people, particularly school children. Studies have long shown that exposure to violence can desensitise youth and cause them to later commit acts of cruelty and abuse. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government and its official Women Federation are obligated to stand up and to protect the young people from being forced to witness this brutal spectacle.
5. Although the “Dog Meat Festival” has been promoted as a local “folk custom,” it is not really a local culinary culture.
It is a commercial activity masquerading as a regional tradition. We have no interest in questioning an individual’s eating habit or food choices. But the promotion of a food that is illegally sourced and poses food safety concerns is not an issue of individual choice or individual rights. It is still less a matter of a local culinary culture. No culture or local custom is a defense of a practice that runs counter to human progress. Despite strong resistance, foot-binding, opium-smoking, and arranged marriage, the so-called Chinese traditional practices, were ended without jeopardising the Chinese culture. In fact, Chinese civilisation has since experienced a spirited rejuvenation. And, China’s pace of progress has not been slowed one bit. To glorify Chinese culture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government must eliminate outdated practices that represent forces of the past and that damage the reputation of the mainstream Chinese culture.
6. Guangxi has breathtaking natural beauty that attracts millions of domestic and international tourists.
The Yulin “Dog Meat Festival” does not belong in this region.
In June 2013, the “festival” was condemned by more than 40,000 people around the world within a short span of a few days. The event has already tarnished the reputation of Guangxi and can possibly cause a negative repercussion in the tourism industry of the Autonomous Region. We appeal to you to act in the interest of public health, food safety, child welfare, and the reputation of Guangxi and China. Yulin “Dog Meat Festival” is no regional “folk custom.” It is a business operation that undermines the national and public interest. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government is at a historical juncture.
The #CancelYulinDogMeatFestival campaign is essentially a people led movement and holds no political status or affiliation with any one political party. Any individual or third party wish to collect petition signatures for this campaign may seek advice and guidance from our registered non-profit organisation – Together for Animals in China (TACN©) Association – 与牠同行动物福利促进协会, who provides guidance, campaign material and advice that helps further the objects of the organisation and its campaigns.
Individual supporters, on voluntary base, are at liberty to host their own events/demonstrations. Materials in the way of posters, banners, flyers or t-shirts are supplied either freely at events or by way of Internet download or by purchasing from TACN© online sales. Net profits from sale of the fundraising merchandise are put back into the campaign.
As this campaign is people driven, there is no formal structure. Supporters are encouraged to meet together in their own chapters to decide and organise events. Restriction is only placed on the use of the registered logo and name of TACN©, as it cannot be used for personal material gain or in any way that could be construed as acting in a manner adverse to the cause and the campaign.
Whilst the use of social media is encouraged, permission is not granted if the logo is used for any individual or organisation to speak on behalf of TACN© without prior consultation with those who own the rights to the logo. Facebook articles and comments from TACN© may be shared but not reprinted or republished or quoted in any blogs without consulting TACN© priorly.
您提供的信息将被用于纯粹的请愿和呼吁目的，不会被用于任何营销或其他渠道。完整的活动文案可以通过申请阅览。与牠同行TACN (与牠同行动物福利促进协会) 对活动内容和文案保留最终解释权。