VICTORY! Chinese Dog Slaughterhouse and Markets Shut Down
A total of 33 stalls belonging to the ‘Three Birds of Dali Markets’ and a dog slaughterhouse, situated in Nanhai – Foshan (Guangdong Province), have been closed by Chinese authorities after Animal Equality‘s investigation, highlighted the illegal and cruel trade in such establishments and thanks to the collaboration of Volunteer Centre of Guangzhou.
Footage obtained by Animal Equality investigators has been used by Chinese animal advocates from the organization Volunteer Centre of Guangzhou to report the illegal trade to the authorities. None of the stalls had official or legal certificates for the dogs and cats, as most of the animals are pulled away from their homes and families to then be sold and slaughtered for their meat. During the raid, police have seized more than 600 dogs and cats.Nanhai authorities have also shut down an illegal dog slaughterhouse located close to the markets. The slaughterhouse was used to provide dog meat to the local restaurants. Police found over a hundred dogs which were wounded and dehydrated, several of them were already dead.
The breeding, trade, and killing of dogs and cats for food is not explicitly prohibited in China yet. The sentence which closed these establishments was based primarily on a health and food security issue, as the stall and slaughterhouse owners did not have valid vaccine certificates for each animal. Until the Chinese government prohibits the dog and cat meat trade in the country, we are still able to help these animals and close down the markets, restaurants, and slaughterhouses which sell dog and cat meat, by using these laws against these businesses, as the majority don’t comply with the law.
