On an anti-Yulin festival poster circulating on Chinese social media, a dog sheds a red tear, saying, “Please don’t eat us. We’re your friends.”
On Facebook, which is banned in China, a page titled “Stop Yulin Dog & Cat Meat Festival 2015,” has racked up 63,000 likes.
Many of the animals prepared for slaughter are kidnapped in other provinces before they are brought to Guangxi for the festival.
When villagers in Hunan caught two thieves killing and stealing their pet dogs on June 4, they chained them to posts and beat them for nine hours, according to People’s Daily. When police arrived at the scene, the mob demanded compensation from the government; when this was refused, they turned on the police and damaged their patrol car. Only later in the day did backup come and the thieves were taken into custody.
According to the Humane Society International, local authorities in Yunlin warned restaurant owners of likely protests during the festival, due to take place on June 21. It is being held a week ahead of the normal schedule, apparently an attempt to lessen the controversy, the state-run Xinhua reported.
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