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A woman in China has paid over US$1,000 to save 100 animals from being eaten during a dog meat festival, media reported, as activists have criticised the event, labelling it as cruel.
Animal-loving Yang Xiaoyun paid about 7,000 yuan (HK$8,800) to save about 100 dogs in the southern city of Yulin on Saturday, the news website Netease reported.
The city in the Guangxi region holds an annual festival devoted to the animal’s meat on the summer solstice, which has provoked an increasing backlash from animal protection activists.
Reports said that Yang, 65, plans to re-house the dogs at her home nearly 2,000 km away in Tianjin.
Pictures posted online showed her browsing a market in Yulin where the dogs were kept in cages.
Activists have in the past travelled to the city to hold demonstrations, sometimes buying dogs to save them from the cooking pots.
Local people have been quoted as saying that animals are killed in a humane way for the festival, where their meat is then served with lychees.
The majority of “meat dogs” in the country are stolen pets and strays, according to an investigation published this month by the Hong Kong-based charity Animals Asia, although eating dog is unusual in most parts of China.
About 30 million households in the country are estimated to keep dogs as pets, helping to fuel the growing animal rights movement.
The city’s government has tried to distance itself from the event.
“Some residents of Yulin have the habit of coming together to eat lychees and dog meat during the summer solstice,” the city’s news office wrote on social media.
“The ‘summer solstice lychee and dog meat festival’ is a commercial term, the city has never [officially] organised a dog meat festival,” it said.
Eating dog is not illegal in China, but the government called on meat vendors to respect food safety laws.
“Yulin is an open, tolerant and civilised city,” it said. “We welcome people across the world to pay attention to Yulin.”
This year the festival has been targeted by British Comedian Ricky Gervais, who posted a series of messages on Twitter with the hashtag “StopYuLin2015”.

Watch: Dog meat festival draws fans and opponents


Chinese woman buys 100 dogs to stop them being eaten during festival

Yang Xiaoyun buying dogs in Yulin. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Dog-eating festival loses its bite as animal rights activists step in

A vendor tortures a dog in front of animal rights activists in an attempt to demand money for the dog in Yulin city. Photo: AP

The owner of a popular Yulin restaurant said her business was down by a third thanks to the activists' actions. Photo: David Wong

Activists and locals clash in Yulin yesterday. Photo: David Wong

An animal rights activist, center holds on to a dog as a vendor demands RMB400 or $64 for the dog. Photo: AP

More Chinese than Westerners howl against annual dog meat festival

A dog seller (right) with dogs in a cage waiting to be sold in a market in Yulin. Photo: AFP

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China

People & Culture

Animals rescued during the annual dog meat festival in Yulin in southern China


Chinese woman buys 100 dogs to stop them being eaten during festival

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Animals rescued during the annual dog meat festival in Yulin in southern China

Animals rescued during the annual dog meat festival in Yulin in southern China