Friends or food? Big data reveals what China thinks of dog meat

An animal activist (C) kneels down as she offers to buy a dog from a vendor (2nd R) to stop it from being eaten ahead of the annual dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region June 20, 2014. The festival, scheduled on June 21 as in previous years to mark the summer solstice, in southern Chinese city of Yulin, has drawn fierce protests from animal welfare groups and pet owners, who urge the local government to ban the long-standing tradition. According to animal welfare activists, about 10,000 dogs will be consumed on that day, Xinhua News Agency reported. [Photo/Agencies]

The animal protection groups, especially those concentrated in cities and focused on pets such as dogs and cats, are a product of the very industrial system that believes in making money from people's insatiable greed and love for certain things, including dogs.

Dog lovers regard dogs as human beings' best friends. But what about pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits, fish and shrimps?

If "foolish" animals such as pigs, cows, sheep, chickens and ducks deserve to be slaughtered for their meat and feathers to meet human demand, as the dog lovers' have insinuated, people consuming their meat and using their byproducts are no different from those who love to eat dog meat.

True, both dog lovers and dog meat eaters have the right to assert their beliefs. But when their assertions lead to confrontation and ultimately to violence, the government has to intervene.

According to the Guangxi public health department, about 300 people die of rabies every year in the region, the most among all China's provinces and regions, and the highest percent of such deaths occur in Yulin.

The dogs that are slaughtered in Yulin come from different channels. Stealing and selling dogs is a flourishing illegal business, especially before the "festival", in Yulin and some other places. Although restaurants serving dog meat in Yulin claim the dogs come from dog farms, the animals that are slaughtered are of various sizes, breeds and ages, and in different health conditions. Some dog farms in China breed dogs to be sold as pets, but not "for slaughter", because breeding dogs for the abattoirs is not a profitable business.

The onus is thus on the authorities to strengthen food-safety inspections to ensure that the dog meat sold in the market is safe for human consumption.

The author is a writer with China Daily. liyang@chinadaily.com.cn