The dog and cat meat trade in CHINA (Asia):

China is believed to be responsible for the slaughter of around 10 million dogs and 4 million cats for the meat trade each year.  It is estimated that 20% of people in China eat dog meat.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Saving dogs from China’s dog meat trade)  Although dog meat is not a daily food for the average Chinese person, dogs are consumed by humans everywhere in China.  The Guangdong and Guangxi provinces in southern China are the two areas with the largest dog meat consumption.  The northeast province of Jilin has the second largest dog meat trade in China, with a high concentration of ethnic Koreans living there.  Jiangsu province on the eastern coast of China and Shandong province on the northern coast of China have the third-largest dog meat trade in China.  (Huang, 2015, Q. and A.: Peter J. Li on the Clash Over Eating Dogs in China)   The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in China declared a ban on the trade and consumption of certain wild animals in February 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus) was suspected to have started at a live animal meat “wet” market in Wuhan, China.  The live animal meat “wet” market in Wuhan, along with other live animal meat markets in China, sold wild and domestic animals for human consumption, including dogs and cats.  These meat markets were temporarily shut down in February 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  (Xie, 2020, China bans trade, eating of wild animals in battle against coronavirus)  Meat traders said they planned to resume selling dog meat once the meat markets in China reopened.  (CNA, Channel News Asia, 2020, ‘Animals live for man’: China’s appetite for wildlife likely to survive virus)  According to an ABC news report, Wuhan’s wet markets reopened for business in April 2020.  (ABC News, 2020, Wuhan’s ‘wet markets’ are back in business)

China does not have any national laws to ban the trade and human consumption of dog and cat meat.  (He, 2020, China’s pork crisis piques interest in dog and cat meat, as animal activists raise the alarm over illegal slaughter)   In April 2020, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs published a draft version of the country’s National Directory of Genetic Resources for Livestock and Poultry, which lists 31 animals that are considered to be livestock in China.   Dogs were not included on this livestock list or the previous list, but the draft document states that dogs are companion animals, not livestock animals.  The draft document does not ban dog and cat meat.  (Chen, 2020, Dogs to be not included in the catalogue of genetic resources for livestock and poultry, ministry of agriculture and rural affairs responds: not related to fasting)  The City of Shenzhen in mainland China banned dog and cat meat effective May 1, 2020.  City government officials said that dogs and cats have a close relationship with people, and that banning dog and cat meat “responds to the demand and spirit of civilization.”  A government official stated there are ample supplies of poultry, livestock, and seafood for consumers.  (CNA, Channel News Asia, 2020, China’s Shenzhen bans the eating of cats and dogs after COVID-19 outbreak)  The city of Zhuhai in mainland China also announced a ban on dog and cat meat consumption starting May 1, 2020.  Both Shenzhen and Zhuhai are located in Guangdong Province in southeastern China.  (Block, 2020, Breaking news: Second city in mainland China bans dog and cat meat trade)  In an online vote in 2016, nine million people in China voted for the development of legislation to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat in China.  (Animals Asia, 2020, Dog and Cat Abuse in China)

China does not have any laws to prevent cruelty to animals, although a draft proposal of such a law was submitted to the National People’s Congress in China in 2009.  Animals are not treated well in China and the frequency of neglect and cruelty to animals shows that authorities can’t rely on people to act morally in regards to animals.  (Chun, 2015, Activists push for animal protection law in China)  China has a history of harsh treatment of pets, especially dogs.  The President of the Capital Animal Welfare Association in China, Qin Xiaona, stated that “dogs are feared in China and there is a lack of empathy for dogs there.”  (May, Tiffany, 2018, Chinese City Bans Daytime Dog Walking in a Crackdown on Canines)  China’s Communist Party considers pet dogs to be a menace to their society, with pet dogs only being kept by people who want to “imitate a Western lifestyle.”  (NBC News, 2014, China Denounces Pet Dogs as Filthy Imports from the West)  There are very few dog protection groups in China.  There are many cat protection groups in China, especially in the northern provinces, where the cat is a popular pet.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)  There are millions of stray dogs and cats living on the streets in China.  Many of the dogs and cats were born on the streets, but some are abandoned pets.  Dogs and cats, including puppies and kittens, are considered to be a nuisance by some people in China.  There are incidents of extreme animal abuse towards dog and cats, including a puppy being scalded in hot water and thrown from a high-rise building, hot oil being thrown on dogs, and puppies being buried alive.  Officials routinely kill large numbers of strays in Government culls.  (Animals Asia, 2020, Dog and Cat Abuse in China)  Stray dogs are killed in government culls, and dogs without their owners are killed on the streets.  (Campbell, 2020, ‘They Are Overwhelmed.’ China’s Animal Shelters Can’t Cope With the Number of Pets Abandoned Due to COVID-19)  During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some people in China threw their dogs and cats out of apartment towers, mortally wounding or killing them, because of reports on a social media site that dogs and cats can spread the virus.  (Abacus, 2020, How WeChat and Weibo fight coronavirus fake news)

The treatment of dogs and cats in the meat trade is inhumane and often barbaric.  Dogs and cats are neglected, abused, and live in filthy conditions.  Dogs and cats are confined in cramped cages, handled in a brutal manner, and tortured before being slaughtered for their meat.  (Soi Dog Foundation, 2020, Ending the Dog Meat Trade)  Butchers torture dogs because they believe it makes the dog meat tender.  (Soi Dog Foundation, 2020, Ending the Dog Meat Trade)  Meat traders throw live dogs in cauldrons of boiling water, holding them down with a pole, or throwing them in barrels of boiling water and holding the top down so the dogs can’t escape.  (Smith & Myers, 2016, Defenceless dogs scream in agony as they are boiled ALIVE for sick trade in meat)  Dogs are stabbed while in cramped cages to increase their suffering.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)  Some dogs are skinned alive.  (Soi Dog Foundation, 2020, Ending the Dog Meat Trade)  Adding to the suffering, some meat traders stick a pipe down live dog’s throats and fill the dog’s stomachs with water because dogs are sold by weight and heavier dogs bring more profits.  (Kitada, Naotoshi, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)  Some meat traders pump live dog’s stomachs full of rice to increase their weight to make more money.  (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2015, Take URGENT action to stop the brutal slaughter of dogs for their meat!)  Cats are taken out of cramped cages with large metal tongs, then beaten over the head.  The cats are then thrown into a pot of boiling water to remove their fur, with some of the cats still conscious.  (Humane Society International, 2018, 375 cats saved from Chinese slaughterhouse after tip-off from heartbroken cat lover)  There are numerous reports of dogs and cats being cooked alive over open flames and in pots or pans.  Dogs are electrocuted, shot in the head, hit over the head with a metal bar, and their throats are slit while they are still alive, with many of the dogs struggling to survive.  Dogs are hung by the neck, blowtorched while alive, then hit on the head.  Some dog’s limbs are sliced off while they are still alive.  Dogs are hit on the snout, then their throats are slit.  Cats are drowned in cages.

Meat marketers in China sell all kinds of live animals for consumption, including dogs and cats, at live animal meat markets.  The animals are cramped in small cages and the conditions at the markets are filthy.  Once the animals, including dogs and cats, are purchased by a customer, they are slaughtered right then and there.  (Block, 2020, Coronavirus offers more proof why China needs to shut down live animal markets for good)  In a January 2020 Time article, Yanzhong Huang, a public health expert at the Council of Foreign Relations, said that Chinese people are obsessed with freshness, they love to eat anything alive, and eating live animals is just part of Chinese culture.  (Campbell, 2020, The West Blames the Wuhan Coronavirus on China’s Love of Eating Wild Animals. The Truth is More Complex)

Some dogs and cats are raised for their meat on farms, but there are no large dog or cat meat farms in China.  (He, 2020, China’s pork crisis piques interest in dog and cat meat, as animal activists raise the alarm over illegal slaughter)  Around 2015, the Chinese dog meat industry claimed there were more than 100 registered dog meat farms in China.  A four-year undercover investigation by Animals Asia found the number of dog meat farms claimed by the Chinese dog meat trade was inflated, with only 30 dogs at most on the dog meat farms that did exist.  The number was inflated to cover up widespread thefts of dogs for the meat trade.  (Animals Asia, 2019, End the Dog Meat Trade)

Cat meat farms are less common in China than dog meat farms because cats are considered to be more useful animals, and are not considered by some Chinese people to be as much of a nuisance as dogs.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)  It is difficult to raise cats for their meat because cats do not live effectively in confined groups and are more prone to spreading disease in confined conditions.  The majority of cats brought into the meat industry in China are stolen from the streets or are stolen pets.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)

Many of the dogs in the dog meat trade are wearing collars.  Most “meat” dogs are stolen pets or vulnerable strays, which is contrary to the Asian dog meat trade’s claims that meat dogs are from dog meat farms.  (Animals Asia, 2019, End the Dog Meat Trade)  It is estimated that 70% of the dogs slaughtered for their meat in China and Vietnam are stolen pets or strays.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)

The black market for dogs and cats for the meat trade in China is extremely lucrative, and described as having “colossal profits.”  Thefts of dogs and cats are very prolific and cause social problems, such as violations of the law, extremely violent confrontations between pet owners and thieves, the mislabeling of dog and cat meat as meat from another animal, and the risk of health hazards, to include people all over China consuming meat from dogs and cats poisoned during their capture.  There are many reports of dog thieves threatening owners with knives, shooting them with poison darts, and physically attacking them and stealing their dogs.  The theft of dogs and cats is not always reported to law enforcement officials and the media does not do news reports on the issue very often.  Some pet owners fear retaliation from dog thieves if they report the theft of their pet to law enforcement.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)

Many dog thieves are unemployed.  They steal and sell dogs to dog slaughterhouses, meat shops, and meat markets.  Some dog thieves steal dogs for a “broker” who then sells the dogs to dog slaughterhouses, meat shops, and meat markets.  Some dog thieves accumulate dogs and then sell them in lots.  Some dog thieves steal dogs from rural areas, but also take strays from the streets.  The thieves usually steal the dogs in the early morning hours.  Dog thieves use knives, wooden sticks, blowpipes loaded with needles containing anesthetics, poison darts, and poisoned meat or meat containing drugs to capture dogs.  Dog thieves also frequently use cross-bows with arrows laced with poison or anesthetic to catch dogs.  Sometimes dog thieves use lassos and wrench the lasso so tight the dog can’t make a sound when captured.  Dog thieves can steal a dog within seconds by standing at the door of a vehicle, then catching the dog using a pole with a lasso at the end, and jerking the dog into the van as it speeds away.  Dog theft rings can be sophisticated, with multiple drivers and dog thieves operating out of several different vehicles.  There are other lucrative industries that have spawned from the dog and cat theft industry, such as the production of fake license plates in order to avoid detection when they steal pets.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)  Other criminals supply dog thieves with syringes filled with poison meant to kill or disable dogs so they could be stolen for the meat trade.  Police determined that a group of criminals in Anhui Province in eastern China sold around 20,000 poison-filled syringes to dog thieves.  (He, 2020, China’s pork crisis piques interest in dog and cat meat, as animal activists raise the alarm over illegal slaughter)

In May 2014, police in Haizhu District in Guangdong Province in southeastern China, arrested members of a dog theft ring that stole over 100 dogs a day to sell to restaurants in Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen, and other cities within Guangdong Province.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)  Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, is known as the “dog-eating province.”  Guangzhou is near Hong Kong and has an estimated population of 105 million people.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

There are many unwanted pets in China due to unregulated pet markets, irresponsible pet ownership, and lack of education about dogs (breeds and behaviors).  Government dog pounds and private dog shelters are overflowing their capacity.  Large numbers of dogs disappear overnight from these facilities, and it is believed the dogs end up in the dog meat trade, with some animal protection groups witnessing dogs being transported to meat markets in northern China.  Some of the dogs taken to the meat markets are from culls that take place when people complain about aggressive or noisy dogs, and when cities clean up their streets or do maintenance.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

Meat products in China are regulated and any animal used for meat must be tracked from the original source (including a farm) to the vaccination, transportation, sale, and slaughter of the animal.  If this is not done, the meat from the animal is not considered to be qualified for human consumption.  Animals intended for human consumption, including dogs and cats, must have a quarantine certificate, animal vaccination condition certificate, breeding file, immunity file, livestock tag, and vaccination tag.  Meat producers must have an industrial license and a business license.  Live animal transporters going to slaughterhouses must have a vaccination book, quarantine certificate, and lab report for each animal on the truck, including dogs and cats.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)  Dog meat traders either don’t have the required paperwork, or they have one certificate for all the dogs on the transport truck, or they create fraudulent paperwork.  (Huang, 2015, Q. and A.: Peter J. Li on the Clash Over Eating Dogs in China)  Some dog meat marketers and brokers prefer to acquire dead dogs for their meat because it is cheaper than obtaining live dogs.  Most of the packaged dog meat in supermarkets in Pei County, Jiangsu Province, in eastern China was made from dogs that were already dead when they reached the meat marketers.  Some of the dogs had been poisoned in order to kill them.  These dogs would not pass an animal health inspection, so these marketers and brokers bribe animal health quarantine officials in order to obtain a quarantine certificate for the dogs.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)

Animals that are taken across provincial borders in China must have individual health certificates.  Trucks transporting dogs and cats for slaughter do not comply with this regulation.  Chinese authorities rarely stop trucks transporting dogs and cats to check for health certificates, although there are many of these trucks on the highways.  Activists try to stop the trucks and call police.  Activists ask police to confiscate the dogs and cats because they are illegally acquired and because the drivers do not have the required health certificates.  Negotiations for the confiscation of the dogs and cats can last for hours or days.  (Humane Society International/China, 2019, China’s Yulin dog meat festival)

Dogs and cats headed for slaughter are crammed into wire cages on transport trucks and driven for days without food, water, or room to move.  Many of the dogs in the middle of the cages suffocate to death, with many others dying of dehydration, heatstroke, or illnesses.  The cages are hurled off the trucks at slaughterhouses, with many dogs and cats being severely injured or killed.  (Humane Society International/China, 2019, China’s Yulin dog meat festival)

A relatively small number of dogs (in relation to the huge number of dogs in the meat trade) are rescued from the transport trucks and taken to sanctuaries for water, food, medical treatment, and shelter.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Saving dogs from China’s dog meat trade)  Mr. Zhou Xisong, the representative for the Association of Small Animal Protection in Henan in central China, said that shelters don’t have the capacity to take care of all the dogs rescued from the meat trucks, so many of the meat trucks make it to the slaughterhouses.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)  Very few transport trucks containing cats in China are intercepted by rescuers.  The cats on the transport trucks are crammed on top of each other in small cages and many die of suffocation, panic, and heatstroke.  Many of the cats are wearing collars, indicating they are someone’s pet.

Dogs and cats acquired for the meat trade are crammed into cages on transport trucks, then transported for days without water or food to slaughterhouses and meat markets.  Sometimes there are thousands of dogs on a single truck.  The dogs suffer from suffocation, dehydration, starvation, exposure to extreme cold and heat, broken limbs, shock, and disease. (Humane Society International, 2019, Dog Meat Trade)   When transport trucks arrive at slaughterhouses, the dogs and cats are usually beaten to death with a metal pole after being thrown off the truck.  (Humane Society International/China, 2019, China’s Yulin dog meat festival)

There are many dog and cat slaughterhouses in China.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Saving dogs from China’s dog meat trade)  There are more than 50 dog slaughterhouses in the Jilin Province in northeast China, making it the center for dog meat slaughterhouses in China.  The three largest dog slaughterhouses, Heilong Town Xiao XiGou Village Wag Liying Slaughterhouse, Green Park District Dayingzi Village Wang Ting slaughterhouse, and Changchun City Yongchun town slaughterhouse 81, are located in Changchun, the capital city of the Jilin Province.  These three slaughterhouses slaughter about 7,000 dogs each day throughout the entire year.  Yongchun slaughterhouse (also known as slaughterhouse 81) slaughters around 3,000 dogs each day, has been in operation for over 19 years, and is owned by Dong Wanquan.  (Brown, 2018, China: Changchun Dog Slaughterhouses)  Another slaughterhouse in Changchun City receives one or two trucks with piles of dogs on them every day and has been operating this way for years. Some slaughterhouses, including those in Changchun City, are shut down but move to another location to start operating again.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

The slaughter of dogs for meat is a major industry in Pei County, Jiangsu Province, in eastern China.  It is estimated that 500,000 dogs are slaughtered for human consumption each year in Pei County.  (Langfitt, 2012, Headed For The Butcher, Chinese Dogs Are Rescued)  The dogs are obtained from various sources, and are not from dog meat farms.  Dog meat farms are not considered to be profitable, so there are very few of them.  The dog meat dealers purchase dogs from other “dealers” who steal dogs or obtain them from other sources.  Meat dealers do not care if the dogs are stolen pets, they only care that the price is cheap.  Dog meat dealers in Pei County purchase dogs obtained mainly from Hua County and Shangqiu City in Henan Province in central China, Xinzhou City in Shanxi Province in northern China, Anhui Province in eastern China, and Shandong Province in eastern China, mainly along the Yellow River.  Meat dealers buy many dogs from Shangqiu City in central China because the price of smaller to mid-sized dogs is cheaper there.  The price of bigger dogs is cheaper in northeastern parts of China.  Meat dealers in Pei County slaughter approximately 1,500 to 2,000 dogs a day.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)

In 2014, a citizen in Qunying Village in the Quanshan District of Jiangsu Province in eastern China, reported an illegal dog slaughterhouse which killed around 50 dogs a day.  Some of the dogs were pregnant.  If the pregnant dogs gave birth while being transported to the slaughterhouse, the transporters would throw the puppies out of the vehicle onto the side of the road.  The slaughterers would kill the dogs in public, which bothered the villagers, especially the children.  The dogs in the village would cry along with the dogs that were being slaughtered.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)

The cat meat trade is not as highly publicized as the dog meat trade, but millions of cats are slaughtered for their meat every year in China.  Many of the cats are pets.  On December 1, 2018, a young man who was looking for his lost cat came upon a slaughterhouse in Tianjin, a highly-populated city in northern China, and alerted animal activists and citizens, who rescued 375 cats.  The cats in the slaughterhouse were emaciated and sick.  Dr. Peter Li, who serves with Humane Society International in China, stated that cat meat slaughterhouses are brutal.  The cats are taken out of cramped cages with large metal tongs, then beaten over the head in front of other cats in the slaughterhouse.  The cats are then thrown into a pot of boiling water to remove their fur, with some of the cats still conscious.  The cats are then cut up to disguise that they are cats, and are sometimes sold as mutton or rabbit.  Most of the cats taken for the cat meat industry are pets and strays.  Dr. Li stated that he has often seen piles of pet collars at cat slaughterhouses.  (Humane Society International, 2018, 375 cats saved from Chinese slaughterhouse after tip-off from heartbroken cat lover)  There is a large market for cat meat in Fangcun in the Guangzhou Province in southern China.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)

Some of the dogs and cats destined for slaughter are transported in trucks that drive up to 1,500 miles to get to the Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in Yulin City in southern China (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region).  The Yulin festival, held every year around June 21st (summer solstice), is a notorious event where thousands of dogs and cats are tortured and slaughtered for human consumption.  This festival, which started in 2010, has become the symbol for the immense cruelty of the dog and cat meat trade.  Chinese officials have not banned the festival, although there has been intense domestic and international outrage over the festival.  The festival still continues as of 2019, but it has decreased in size.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Saving dogs from China’s dog meat trade)  Animal welfare activists try to save dogs from the Yulin festival by purchasing them from meat traders.  Some of the meat traders brutalize dogs in order to get more money from the activists.  (Huang, 2015, Q. and A.: Peter J. Li on the Clash Over Eating Dogs in China)

Even though there has been intense domestic and international opposition to the consumption of dog and cat meat in China, and to the Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, Yulin authorities have not banned the sale of dog and cat meat.  In 2017, Yulin authorities attempted to totally ban the sale of dog meat, but rescinded the ban after caving to pressure from local dog meat traders.  Yulin authorities allowed dog meat traders to sell dog meat, but put a restriction on the number of dogs allowed in each market stall.  Yulin authorities have tried to keep the brutal slaughter of dogs and cats out of public view.  The killing of dogs and cats still occurs in backstreets and slaughterhouses in Yulin, China.  (Humane Society International/China, 2019, China’s Yulin dog meat festival)  Slaughterhouse owners in Yulin admitted that the dogs and cats did not have the required quarantine inspection certificates as required by Chinese law.  (Huang, 2015, Q. and A.: Peter J. Li on the Clash Over Eating Dogs in China)  The tenth worst city in China for cases of human rabies is Yulin, China, in Guangxi Province. Guangxi Province is the fifth worst area for cases of human rabies in China.  It is believed the dog and cat meat trade is part of the reason for the prevalence of rabies in these areas.  (Humane Society International/China, 2019, China’s Yulin dog meat festival)

China (with the exception of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) is considered a high-risk area for rabies from dogs.  (CDC, 2021, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies)  Rabies is a serious public health issue in mainland China, with human rabies cases occurring in all provinces.  The incidence of human rabies is highest in provinces located in eastern and southern regions of China, but has increased in the central and northern regions of China as of 2004.  The provinces of Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, and Guangdong are considered high-risk areas for rabies.  (Zhou, 2016, Human Rabies in China, 1960-2014: A Descriptive Epidemiological Study)  The number of rabies cases in Guangxi province is highest in Yulin, where the Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival is held each year.  Most dog meat traders are not vaccinated for rabies, so they risk contracting the disease when handling the dogs they slaughter for the meat trade.  (Huang, 2015, Q. and A.: Peter J. Li on the Clash Over Eating Dogs in China)  Rabies virus isolates from dogs in the meat trade in China were found in Nigeria and Burkina Faso in Africa.  (Garba, 2013, Evaluation of dog slaughter and consumption practices related to the control of rabies in Nigeria)  Chinese officials have beaten dogs to death, sometimes in mass numbers, as an attempt to control rabies.  Vaccinating the dogs would have been the appropriate method to control the spread of rabies.  (Borrell, 2009, Canine Culls and Feral Feasts: China Still No Closer to Ending Its Rabies Problem)

There are many dog meat markets in China.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Saving dogs from China’s dog meat trade)

The Chinese word for “dog” is not always displayed on signs where meat is sold, but a symbol for “aroma” is used instead.  Chinese government officials do not want foreigners to be able to read signs about the sale of dog meat.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

Dog meat is sometimes sold as mutton (sheep meat) because the price for mutton in higher than dog meat.  (Animals Asia, 2015, An Animals Asia investigation Report No. 2, The black market for dog and cat meat in China: Media reports 2001-2015)

Dog meat marketers try to be secretive and are usually aggressive towards any people, activists, or media who ask questions about the sale of dog meat at meat markets.  Cameras are not welcome at meat markets.  A meat marketer in China attempted to destroy camera equipment being used at the market to film the documentary Asian Dog Meat Report.  When several of the cameramen for the documentary left the meat market to go back to their hotel, they were followed by armed guards for the meat dealers.   The guards sat in the hotel and stood on the upper level watching the cameramen.  The hotel then asked the cameramen to move to another hotel.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)  There are increasing confrontations between dog meat traders and animal welfare activists in China.  Opposition to the dog meat trade in China is growing inside and outside of China.  (Huang, 2015, Q. and A.: Peter J. Li on the Clash Over Eating Dogs in China)

Humane Society International, as well as other NGOs (non-governmental organizations), are facing restrictions on being able to save dogs and cats in the meat trade in China due to China’s Foreign NGO Law, introduced in January 2017.  The Foreign NGO law requires NGOs to register with the Chinese Government in order to operate on the ground in China.  Humane Society International is registered with the Chinese Government, but it faces strong legal restrictions on its operations, such as its staff not being able to legally operate in Yulin, China, where the Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival is held each year.  Humane Society International must depend on their Chinese animal rescue counterparts to save dogs and cats from Yulin and other parts of China.  Even with the restrictions, Humane Society International continues to help dogs and cats that are saved from the Yulin Meat Festival and other areas in China.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Saving dogs from China’s dog meat trade)

The existence of the dog and cat meat trade in China is sparking activism among some people in China to save the dogs and cats.  A video report from The LIP TV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdRszZMWz5o) tells of Chinese activists surrounding 3 truckloads of dogs headed for a slaughterhouse after the word went out on Weibo (a social media site).  There were 3,200 dogs on the trucks.  The Chinese activists started adopting the dogs on the spot.  (The LIP TV, 2014, Chinese Activists Save 3,200 Dogs From Meat Trade Slaughter)

Mr. Wang Yan and his wife, in Jilin, Changchung City, China, saved over 3,000 dogs from dog meat suppliers in China.  Mr. Wang and his wife started saving dogs after their beloved pet dog disappeared.  They went to slaughterhouses, but couldn’t find their dog.  When they saw the brutality of the slaughterhouses, they bought and saved one dog, then continued to save more dogs from the meat trade.  They were further influenced to save dogs after working with a Buddhist monk who advocates for the protection of animals.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

Ms. Yang Xiaoyun, in Tianjin, China, rescued hundreds of dogs and some cats from the Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in China.  Ms. Yang purchased the dogs and cats from the festival, sheltered them, and tried to save the sick, wounded, and dying dogs and cats.  She also sheltered dogs and cats after they were taken from transport trucks going to slaughterhouses.  Many died before they were rescued from the transport trucks, and some died while on the rescue trucks from Yulin to her shelter.  Ten to twenty percent of the dogs and cats on the rescue trucks die because the drivers have to drive non-stop for 2,000 kilometers for 2 to 3 days to avoid being blocked by dog meat traders.  When the dogs and cats arrive at Ms. Yang’s shelter, their condition is usually extremely bad.  Ms. Yang’s neighbors have complained and harassed her because of the amount of dogs and cats she has at her shelter.  She moves every year to avoid the complaints and harassment.  (Nilsson, 2019, interview with Naotoshi Kitada, Asian Dog Meat Report)

The dog meat industry in China is saturated with illegal activity and public health issues “at every stage of the supply chain.”  (Animals Asia, 2018, Review 2017 Cat and Dog Welfare)  Dog and cat meat bans in China must be enforced and must be supported by the majority of the population where eating dog and cat meat occurs.  Humane organizations are concerned that the prohibition on the sale of dog and cat meat may force the trade to move away from city centers (but still within driving distance) and operate underground if laws are not enforced.  The prohibition on dog meat may also cause the price to rise and bring more profits to meat traders, so enforcement becomes even more necessary.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Temporary ban on dog eating is a step in the right direction)

The dog and cat fur trade in CHINA:

Around 2008, the number of dogs and cats slaughtered in China for the fur industry was estimated to be in excess of 2,000,000 (two million) annually.  As of 2018, there are no official trading statistics that show how many dog and cat pelts are traded in China annually because the number of dog and cat pelts are not separated from the general fur category.  It is believed the number of dogs and cats slaughtered for the fur industry has grown because of the demand for fur products.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

China does not have any laws to prevent cruelty to animals, although a draft proposal of such a law was submitted to the National People’s Congress in China in 2009.  Animals are not treated well in China and the frequency of neglect and cruelty to animals shows that authorities can’t rely on people to act morally in regards to animals.  (Chun, 2015, Activists push for animal protection law in China)

Fur farms in China are not regulated, therefore there are no standards for animal welfare or for humane slaughter.  The conditions at the farms are horrific and the method of slaughter is excruciating for the animals.  (Last Chance for Animals, 2020, China’s Bloody Fur Trade)

China slaughters more animals for fur and produces more fur garments than any other country in the world.  The Chinese were responsible for more than half of the 30 billion dollars spent on fur garments globally in 2017.  China primarily exports fur products to Russia, South Korea, and northeast Asia, but still exports significant quantities of these products to Europe, Australia, and North America (including the United States and Canada).  Some of these products are made of dog and cat fur, although they are mislabeled to reflect the fur as coming from other types of animals if the destination country prohibits dog and cat fur.  Scientific testing is the only way to absolutely determine which animal was the source of the fur, and sometimes testing is inconclusive because the pelts are processed using chemicals.  Some garments made from dog and cat fur are manufactured in China, and other products using dog and cat fur are manufactured in other countries.  Because dog and cat fur is cheaper to obtain than other fur, products containing dog and cat fur are less expensive.  (ACT Asia, 2019, China’s fur trade and its position in the global fur industry)

China produces 75% of all furs sourced around the world, making it the largest fur processing and trading country in the world.  Dogs and cats are openly used as a source of meat and fur in China, with some dogs and cats bred only for their fur.  Although some people believe the dog and cat fur trade would cease if dog and cat meat is banned, there is robust evidence that the dog and cat fur trade is rapidly increasing each year, and the demand for dog and cat fur will continue regardless of a ban on dog and cat meat.  The dog and cat meat industry sells pelts to the fashion industry to make items for both adults and children.  Dog fur is used to make fur coats, hats, blankets, car seat blankets, knee pads, trousers, boots, waistcoats, and other items.  Cat fur is used to make fur coats, blankets, leg warmers, waist warmers, breeches, scarves, shawls, waistcoats, fur trim on coat collars and cuffs, and other items.  It takes around 15 to 20 dogs to produce a fur coat from dog pelts and 40 cats to produce a fur coat from cat pelts.  There are many online websites that sell dog and cat fur products.  There are no labeling laws in China, and no standardized labeling requirements between countries that trade with China.  Products using dog and cat fur are often mislabeled as another species of fur-bearing animal because it is considered to be more acceptable to foreign customers.  Sometimes products using dog and cat fur do not have a label or are incorrectly labeled as fake fur.  Dog fur is often mislabeled as Asian wolf, coyote, or yellow weasel, and cat fur is often mislabeled as mountain cat, rabbit, fox, or mink.  Traders mislabel the dog and cat fur items according to whatever fur the customer is asking to purchase.  Consumers do not really know what kind of fur they are purchasing.  China is thought to be the largest exporter of dog and cat fur, followed by Thailand, and the Philippines.  Dog and cat fur is exported by China to Russia, Czech Republic, Canada, and Germany.  Items with dog and cat fur that are exported to the West from China are mislabeled as Asian wolf for dog fur, and rabbit fur for cat fur.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

Dogs, cats, foxes, mink, raccoon dogs, and rabbits are raised on fur farms in China.  Most fur farms in China started operating within the last 10 to 15 years, and the fur industry is expanding.  Act Asia states the Chinese public either does not understand the fur in the products they buy comes from dogs and cats, or they do not care about the immense suffering the animals go through as part of the fur trade.  Fur is marketed as fashionable and desirable in China, with young, newly affluent Chinese people buying fur.  The demand for fur is rising among younger Chinese people.  On the other hand, there is less demand for dog and cat meat among young Chinese people because they think that eating dogs and cats is unfashionable.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

In Guanzhou, Guandong Province, China, a four-story wholesale fur market sells dog, cat, fox, mink, rabbit, raccoon, and horse pelts.  The wholesale fur traders openly discuss which animals were killed for specific pelts displayed in the market, saying “real German Shepherd, real Golden Retriever.”  Grey German Shepherd fur is more expensive than “yellow” fur and is used for coats and trim.  German Shepherd fur is often mislabeled as fox, Asiatic raccoon, and other fur-bearing animals.  Grey German Shepherd fur is similar in appearance to coyote and raccoon fur and other species slaughtered for their fur.  It is estimated that one-third of the pelts sold at the Guanzhou wholesale fur market are from dogs and cats, and the other two-thirds are from fox, mink, rabbit, raccoon, and horses.  Pelts from large dogs are the most common pelts sold in Chinese fur markets, including Tibetan Mastiffs, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Huskies, and large mixed-breed dogs.  Most of the dog pelts were produced in northern China on dog farms.  Two of the main wholesale markets in the northern provinces of Heibei and Zhejiang in China, have hundreds of stalls selling animal pelts, and the demand for dog and cat fur is growing.  All the animal pelts are available for exportation.  A wholesale fur market in Guangzhou, China, can trade anywhere from 14 to 21 million dog pelts each year.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

Undercover Humane Society International investigators were told by Chinese fur manufacturers that they sew alternative labels on garments that contain dog and cat fur because it makes the product more marketable.  (Humane Society International, 2009, Cat and Dog Fur in Canada)

Many dog meat and dog fur farms are located in northern China, like Shandong Province.  Many of these farms started within the last ten (10) years and openly advertise they breed the dogs for meat, fur, and breeding stock for people who want to start a dog farm.  Dogs are considered by dog farmers to be highly-economic farm animals because they produce multiple products from the dogs.  They sell dog meat, dog fur, and other parts of the dogs for traditional Chinese medicines (bones, paws, penises, gallbladder stones, kidneys, stomachs).  Dogs are typically killed by beating them with a stick or hammer until they are semi- conscious, and then piercing their throat with a knife.  Many dogs are still alive when they are skinned.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

Cat meat and pet breeding farms are less common in China than dog meat farms.  There is an overpopulation of cats in municipalities in China, so cats are taken by cat catchers, usually at night.  Cat catchers can make a lot of money, and some catch around 10 to 15 cats in one night, with no regard if the cat is someone’s pet.  Research shows that catching stray cats to supply the fur fashion industry is a highly-lucrative business.  The cat catchers then sell the live cats to regional dealers who bring the cats to wholesalers in southern China, such as Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province.  The cats are then slaughtered and their meat is sold to restaurants and traditional markets for human consumption, or the cats are slaughtered just for their fur.  Immediately after the cats are slaughtered, their pelts are treated with salt to prevent the fur from detaching from the skin.  The cat pelts are then sent to tanning factories, mainly in the Heibei Province (northern China) and the Guandong Province (southern China).  Heibei Province has been trading all types of fur for centuries and has many fur trade markets.  A market in Day-in, in the Heibei Province, is renowned for its cat pelts used for trim, bags, children’s jackets, and other products.  The cat pelts are often dyed to even out the color of the fur.   Demand for cat pelts to supply the fashion industry in China is growing.  It is estimated that one company alone uses between 400,000 and 500,000 cat pelts to make garments and other items each year.  Because cats are considered to be more difficult to handle, cats are put into a sack and beaten with a hammer 10 to 12 times, or drowned in a tank of water.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

The dog and cat fur industry doesn’t operate as openly as the mainstream fur industry in China.  Dog and cat fur traders normally deal with slaughterhouses, tanning factories, garment manufacturers, and exporters in private.  Some of the dog and cat fur is a byproduct of the meat industry in China.  Products made from dog and cat fur are sold in Chinese markets and stores, but also on taobao.com.  (Graham, 2012, How Canada Gets Dog and Cat Fur from China)

Animal dealers use transport companies to move dogs and cats, and depending on the size of the truck, can have a few hundred to a thousand dogs and cats on the trucks. The transport trucks are often seen with live dogs and cats moving down the highways in China.  The dogs and cats are crammed into small cages, stacked on top of each other.  The dogs and cats have no water or food, and cannot move around.  By the end of a very long journey, many dogs and cats are sick or injured.  (ACT Asia, 2017, Report of Dog and Cat Fur Trade in China)

China has a thriving dog meat, dog fur, and dog leather trade, with many customers.  Dog skin leather is used for sporting goods, musical instruments, insoles for shoes, and handbags in Japan and South Korea.  Some dog fur traders work with dog meat butchers to get dog skins after the dogs are slaughtered.  (Brown, 2016, China:  Dog Meat, Fur and Leather Trade)

The fur market in China is expanding.  The only way to end the fur trade in China, including the dog and cat fur trade, is to educate consumers and retailers about the moral implications of a trade that causes extreme cruelty to animals, and environmental damage and negative health consequences from chemicals used in processing animal pelts.  Humane organizations are promoting people to live a fur-free life.  (ACT Asia, 2019, China’s fur trade and its position in the global fur industry)