Yulin 2015

In September 2015, our founder Du Yufeng was recognized for her tireless work at Yulin. She was awarded World Dog Alliance's Gold Award & presented with a cheque for US$100,000.

Our founder Du Yufeng made the painful journey to Yulin for the 4th year in June 2015.

During the Summer Solstice, tens of thousands of dogs are killed during Yulin's annual 'Lychee Dog Meat Festival'. 
Activists like Du gathered there to protest against dog meat eating and to try and educate the dog meat eaters about the cruelty involved and the danger to their health. 
These photos were taken, by Du, at the market where the dogs are sold to butchers, ready to be slaughtered.

​While activists have rescued dogs in previous years, the traders have grown wise and they play on emotions by taunting and raising the price of the dogs. Many times activists have to walk away because they can't afford to buy the dogs.

The traders know that activists like Du will try to buy (rescue) the dogs and each year they have grown wise, upping their prices to the activists, knowing that they cannot afford to buy the dogs. Du was in this position when she tried to buy some dogs and the traders wanted more money than Du had on her. She was in the heartbreaking situation of seeing dogs suffering but unable to save them. Instead she shared her bottle of water with them to give them some comfort before their death. Dogs are transported sometimes for days and then they are left around in cages while traders haggle the price to buy them.

In all this time they are given no food or water. 

Du led a very small group of young activists (one, our young volunteer Yang from Guangyuan) and 2 from Hong Kong), taking on local supporters of eating dog meat at Yulin Dog Meat Festival. There are many supporters of dog meat celebrating the Summer Solstice but determined, Du and the activists carried on despite the harassment and intimidation. 

Du always says education about the dog and cat meat trade is very important and is the only way that the trade will end so she and our young activist Yang held up banners with various messages on them, explaining that dog meat is a risk to health if eaten. This tactic is used often because if the empathy for the dogs and cats and the cruelty they endure is not there, then the eaters of the dog and cat meat may think twice about eating it if there is a risk to their health.

Du was robbed twice while protesting for the 4th year at Yulin Dog Meat Festival. An angry mob of dog meat supporters intimidated her and our young volunteer Yang, taunting them and Du ended up bruised and sore.
In Yulin there are dog meat supporters everywhere and they don't like activists who try to stop it. Du has been to Yulin Dog Meat Festival for 4 years now and each time she has been vocal about the cruelty involved and the risk to health from eating dog meat.  Each time, Du has been harassed and intimidated but it hasn't stopped her from going back, from trying to stop the festival. 

It was one of these traders (the wet market administrator) who robbed Du the first time at Dongkou Market. She reported this incident to the police but because no one was injured, no action was taken.

She was robbed a second time at Qiao Nan Market. This time the police, traffic police and Yulin city management were at the scene and again no action was taken.  Du phoned the police too but they sent no one to attend.
In total Du has lost 6,230 Yuan, donated by kind animal lovers like yourself.

 Police escorted Du and our young volunteer Yang away from an area of Yulin Dog Meat Festival and stopped them from protesting.
While more Chinese activists have made the journey to Yulin recently, Du has been the only one to openly condemn the dog meat festival year after year so that over time she has become the despise of the local government and the dog meat traders. 
Dog traders are intimidating and have harassed Du in previous years. They do not care about activists, they care about their livelihoods - selling and killing dogs for profit.

Du always talks to the media so that news of the festival is spread far and wide, throughout China and the rest of the world. While most people on social media know about the festival, there are still so many who don't have Facebook, Twitter etc so the news is spread through newspapers and news reports on the TV. This is very important because the more people who know about the festival, the more pressure it puts on the Yulin government and China's dog (and cat) meat trade.

June 25th 2015 was the last day that our founder Du Yufeng was in Yulin.
Despite being robbed twice of money taken to rescue dogs and cats, she was able to buy 4 dogs with money left from your donations. Nanning Small Animal Protection also donated some money to Du after hearing of her plight - thank you to them. 

Du also bought this sick kitten and sent it to a local vet for treatment.
This lucky cat already had a loving home waiting and was re homed with a local girl.

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The dogs and cats were transferred to larger cages and were flown back to Chengdu airport with Du on the night of 25th June 2015.  From there they traveled on to our shelter at Guangyuan.​

In total and despite being robbed of her money twice, Du managed to rescue some dogs and cats from Yulin this year. 
Meet 5 of the dogs and some of the cats....
Dogs:-

Dan Dan (meaning egg). He is approx 2 months old, 
Houng Dou (meaning red bean). He is approx 3 months old,
Shar Shar (meaning Shar Pei). He is approx 2 months old,
Lucky. He is approx 2 months old,
​and Mao Mao (meaning hairy). She is approx 4 months old.

All the dogs rescued from Yulin have canine distemper and all of the cats have feline distemper (panleukopenia) but are responding well to treatment. Once fit and well they, and other dogs and cats in the shelter, will be available for adoption.
We will continue the fight against the dog and cat meat trade even though the festival in Yulin has finished. 
Now, we have to concentrate on getting the new residents well and ask that if you can donate money to buy more medicines, it would be appreciated.

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Update:
​Lucky was adopted in April 2016. ​

When we rescue dogs and cats from the Dog & Cat Meat Trade they are nearly always suffering from some sort of disease. This was true of the ones we rescued this year from Yulin. The dogs were suffering from Canine Distemper and the cats were suffering from Feline Distemper (Panleukopenia). Sadly one of the dogs we rescued, 4 month old Golden Retriever puppy Mao Mao, has died because her tiny body was just too weak to fight the disease

​Mao Mao was given a traditional Buddhist funeral to send her from this life to the next.
We will never give up fighting to end the dog and cat meat trade. You can donate to help us fight this evil trade. You can also adopt one of our animals, many of which have been rescued from the Dog Meat Trade including from Yulin this year.

Our founder Du Yufeng rescues Mao Mao from a Yulin Dog Meat trader

Mao Mao shortly after she was rescued

Preparing Mao Mao for her funeral

Preparing Mao Mao for her funeral

Digging Mao Mao's grave

Offerings for Mao Mao's next life