Yulin 2017

Our founder, Du Yufeng, had decided not to visit Yulin, Guangxi this year. She had made the decision to boycott Yulin. One of our partners, Andreas Morlok of ProWal in Germany told us that he was going to Yulin to document the atrocities for his own group. Du has decided to join him. She will stand by her decision not to buy any dogs, instead she will document whether the dog meat sales at certain restaurants will be banned. News stories overseas have stated that there would be a ban on dog meat in Yulin for 1 week from 15th June - 22nd June. Du and Andreas will see if this is upheld. 
Seeing dogs brutally killed and hearing their screams of pain and fright has stayed with Du throughout the 5 years she has been to Yulin Dog Meat Festival. She still has nightmares about it.  For nearly 10 consecutive years,she and our team have destroyed the dog slaughter houses and will keep fighting until China has no dog trade or festival!
Du will fly to Nanning to meet Andreas on Friday 16th June. Please wish her a safe journey. 
A friend of Andreas will meet them later.

The night before Du flew to Nanning, she stayed in a hotel in Chengdu with one of our dogs, Li Ming, who will be flying to her new home in the UK next week.  The next morning, Du said goodbye to Li Ming and left her with one of our transport company colleagues at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. She then checked in herself and waited for her flight to Nanning. 

---

16th June 2017-
When Du arrived at Nanning Wuxu International Airport, Andreas was waiting to meet her. 

Also joining Du is Andreas' friend, Sebastian, who is a friend of Marc Ching's. Du teamed with Marc last year in Yulin and boarded some of his rescued dogs at our shelter.

Sebastian, Andreas & Du

Once Du & Andreas met Sebastian at Nanning airport, they visited a farmer's market on Wuyi Road in Nanning. This market sold dogs and cats. For their meat. One trader told Du that he would kill and butcher any dog the buyer chose and that he sold the meat for 16 Yuan per catty (approx half a kilo). 
On another stall, terrified cats were crammed into tiny cages. Injured and dead cats were in the cages with the live ones. What was most disturbing was when Du asked a little girl, who was with the owner of one cat stall, if she was afraid (because of all the killing and butchering). The little girl told Du that no, she was not afraid and that the cats were there to be sold and killed to be eaten. Knowing that this child was so desensitised to the torture and killing of the cats upset Du. Children are supposed to be the future but this little girl will likely grow up seeing animals as things and not sentient beings.
Later today, Du will accompany Andreas and Sebastian in to Yulin.

Trucks are making their way to Yulin with cage after cage loaded with dogs. 

Dogs are being killed and butchered, Business as usual.

---

---

17 June 2017-
Today, Du, Andreas and Sebastian went in to Yulin to document things. Unfortunately Du didn't get any footage because, literally 2 minutes after stepping foot in Nanqiao Market, 8-10 men surrounded them and followed them for the next 4 hours! We know from previous years how intimidating and aggressive these dog meat supporters are towards Du so we are glad that Andreas and Sebastian were there to protect her but even they decided the situation was too dangerous and so they left the area and went back to Nanning. They were also followed in the car on the way back to Nanning and the driver that Andreas & Sebastian had hired, called Kobe, did great work by driving and dodging the people who were following them. Thank you Kobe!
Du went back to her hotel room and spent a restless night before finally falling asleep ready for tomorrow.

Du, Kobe and Andreas

---

18 June-
​Today, Du, Andreas & Sebastian went to a slaughterhouse near Yulin where live dogs are shipped to market stalls in Yulin or they are killed at the slaughterhouse and the meat transported in to Yulin. Thousands of dogs from all over China will likely pass through this place of horror, not only for the Summer Solstice festival but every day year round because Yulin kills and sells dogs and their meat 365 days a year. When they are brought here, the dogs that are still alive after their, sometimes days long, journey are given meagre food and water until it is time for their killing. The ones that are dead on arrival are sometimes chopped up to feed the live ones. Sick dogs are in abundance. Rabid dogs are common. Dog meat eaters do not care about the state of the dog or meat as long as their bellies are filled.

After visiting the slaughterhouse, the trio went to Dongzhan Market where more live dogs were awaiting their fate. There were butchered dogs hanging and for sale in full view of live dogs. Chickens were also being offered for sale. The hygiene while killing and butchering animals is non existant and this goes against the food safety laws of food in China. Officials turn a blind eye to all of this, making our fight all the more harder.

21st June-
Today, on the day of the Summer Solstice, when the festival officially begins, we went to the Yulin Food and Drug Administration to talk about the 'festival' and the big slaughterhouse at Yulin intersection. We reported to the officials but they did not answer our questions.

Later, Du and Andreas rescued 13 cats. At Dongba market and the surrounding farmer's market, they witnessed the brutal killings of companion animals! On the day of the festival they rescued 13 cats from slaughter. Most of them are very weak, bodies are full of hurt, they are skinny, dirty and smelly from being squashed intp chicken cages for so long. The terrible scenes make people grieve.
The cats were flown from Nanning to Chengdu and then taken to our shelter in Guangyuan where they were left to settle in for the night and explore their new surroundings. A lucky escape for these cats!
For now, you can help these new arrivals by donating towards their rehabilitation. Once they are healthy, they will be looking for a forever home. If you can offer one of these cats a home in the future, please contact us.

---

22 June 2017-
Andreas and Du flew from Nanning back to Chengdu and then travelled on to Guangyuan. Andreas' ProWal supporters had raised donations especially for us to help the dogs and cats at our shelter. We are extremely grateful for their friendship and partnership and warmly welcome the items that Andreas bought for the shelter with those donations. Among the items were sacks and sacks of food, meat, bones, vegetables, food bowls for the rescued cats, scratch posts, medicines and a combined washing machine and dryer! The washer/dryer will make things much easier for the workers who wash the animals's bedding by hand. The beds are hung out to dry, often not drying in time for the bedtime so we cannot thank you all enough for your donations that bought this and all the other items!

---

Update
The cats rescued by us and ProWal at Yulin this year are settling in well. They are beginning to be less timid but some, understandably, still show fear aggression. The vets are cleaning eye, ear and limb wounds daily. The cats are very skinny so are being given small meals often to build up their strength.
One little kitten's condition has upset us all. When cats (and dogs) are stolen for the cat and dog meat trade, the traders stuff them into wire chicken cages. So many of them are squashed in to these cages that often they die from suffocation or like in this kitten's case, their limbs and tails are broken or squashed so severely that they end up deformed. 
You can help towards the rehabilitation treatment costs for these poor cats by donating.
Thank you for your continued support for our animals in China.

Update
12 of the cats we, and our German partner Andreas Morlok of ProWal, rescued on our trip to Yulin this year are doing well. They are putting weight on and their physical scars are healing. Most of them are still scared of human contact, which is very understandable given what they saw and heard but we hope they will begin to trust us in time.
The kitten whose paw was deformed from being squashed in a chicken cage sadly died.
Cats are forgotten at Yulin 'Dog' Meat Festival but the Cat Meat Trade is as bad as the Dog Meat Trade and cats are sentient beings too. They also deserve love and a happy ever after home.
​Thank you for helping us to help them.