I have travelled to over 35 countries in 20 years and have heard all sort of stories, some which belong as a lead story on “Ripley’s Believe or Not”.
So, not many stories “shock the conscience, batters the body and saps the soul” until I read about the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
From the Sydney Morning Herald, June 16, 2015:
The Yulin Dog Meat Festival, in Guangxi province, is a celebration of the June solstice in which thousands of dogs are traded, killed and then eaten in the home or on the street… Dogs and cats – some with pet collars still around their necks – are swiped from around the country and transported to Yulin in the lead up to the festival.
Close to 500,000 pounds of dog meat is consumed… The Humane Society International calls Yulin a "festival of cruelty" and says most Chinese citizens would abhor what takes place there. Its China expert Peter Li went undercover at Yulin… He described one slaughterhouse as "full of blood, internal organs of the dogs and cats, blow torched carcasses, and freshly slaughtered dogs hanging on hooks".
Photographs showed dogs and cats packed into cages without room to move, with some reportedly dying of dehydration or starvation and carcasses strewn around the city's streets.
Twitter hashtag campaign #stopyulin2015 states “over 10,000 dogs robbed and snatched from their family homes, dragged by a rope attached to car, boiled [and burned] alive, skinned alive…”
Outrage is a diluted word to use here.
Animal genocide is probably more appropriate. No, this is not about animal population control.
Passing judgement
We must careful not to pass judgement on other cultures and their norms as it would show our own attitudes and ignorance. We must also be careful in passing judgement on the nuances of religious festivals of others as worshipping takes many forms, flavours and formulas.
Yes, there is the usual local government denial and deflection, and conscience-driven celebrities like Ricky Garvis Rae exposing, via Twitter, the horrors and suggesting a call to action. But where are the A-list actors? Is there concern that their output, movies or endorsements may be banned in China?
Animal reflection
A people’s treatment of animals such as dogs is a reflection of their civility, sensibility and progress.
According to the Travel China Guide website:
The dog is man's friend who can understand the human's spirit and obey its master, whether he is wealthy or not. The Chinese regard it as an auspicious animal. If a dog happens to come to a house, usually the host will be very glad to adopt it, for it symbolises the coming of fortune.
Poodles, especially black poodles, bring more luck. The masters of dogs are not only humans, but immortal in legends as well. The invincible god Erlang used a wolf-dog mix to help him capture monsters.
Furthermore, China’s Year of the Dog is a 12-year cycle with the last one in 2006 and the next in 2018.
One wonders if the Yulin festival of 2006 during the Year of the Dog was less inhumane? I would like to believe that the festival in 2018 will be less festive on the barbaric killing.
If we look at how dogs are viewed, treated, revered and utilised by a cross section of civilised society, we have the following observations:
– In Hindu scripture, the most popular instance of dog is in the Mahabharata.
– The security role of dogs in society, including among Muslims, includes as guard dogs and K-9 bomb sniffing dogs.
– Dog contests in the West like the World’s Largest Dog Show, Dog Agility Competition, etc.
– Organisations speaking for animal rights, like PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals).
– A large number of movies and TV series where dogs have been important characters:
+ Marley & Me
+ Toto (Wizard of Oz)
+ Rin Tin Tin
+ Lassie
+ Benji
+ Scooby Doo
+ Snoopy
The Yulin festival needs an extreme makeover, hence letter-writing campaigns, celebrity commentaries, buying and praying for the animals etc, are not proportionate to the harm done to them.
This is by far the worst form of animal cruelty one can imagine. “To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being,” said Mahatma Gandhi.
The next step should include the involvement of influential Chinese like Jack Ma (Alibaba) and Yao Ming (Chinese super star national basketball player), and possibly diplomatic efforts from the likes of President Barack Obama’s daughters who have dogs named Bo and Sunny.
Sign a petition here, or get in touch with the Humane Society of United States to take action against animal cruelty:
Please be a change agent and get involved.
I would like to thank my work colleague, Sophia Liew, who helped me understand Yulin and contributed to the article. – June 20, 2015.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
Comments
Please refrain from nicknames or comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature, or you may risk being blocked from commenting in our website. We encourage commenters to use their real names as their username. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments