Chinese woman saves 100 dogs from being eaten at a dog meat festival
Yang Xiaoyun, 65, went to extreme lengths to save these animals.
In Yulin, a city in southern China, the summer solstice is celebrated with a festival that includes the slaughter and consumption of up to 10,000 dogs, but at least 100 were saved from that terrible fate by a 65-year-old retired teacher.
Yang Xiaoyun runs an animal shelter in Tianjin. She traveled more than 1,500 miles and spent more than $1,100 to save 100 dogs from death on Saturday, according to TIME.
The festival has faced increasing backlash from activists who say the event is cruel. A hashtag #StopYuLin2015 gained traction as the June 20 festival date neared, and more than 3.8 million people signed an online campaign to ban the activities.
It’s legal to eat dog meat in China, and they’ve been doing so for hundreds of years, but the festival was started recently. Activists say the festival has no cultural value, and according to Hong Kong–based charity Animals Asia, the majority of dog meat in China comes from stolen pets and strays.
Xaioyun provides medical attention to the dogs through her shelter “Common Home,’’ which houses more than 1,000 dogs total.
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