1.5 Million people petition to ban China's infamous Yulin Dog Meat festival

Despite years of protests to ban the infamous China's Yulin Dog Meat festival, the festival has returned on Friday. The controversial festival will, as before, see between 10,000 and 15,000 animals beaten, tortured, burned-alive and killed for their meat as part of the controversial event in China, until banned. 

Millions of activists have campaigned against the barbaric practise in China where canine meat is considered a delicacy.

Approximately £10 million worth of dogs and £4 million cats are sold annually for their meat across China. And almost 1.5 million people have signed a petition set up by Care2 and Humane Society International to put an end to the 10-day festival.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, said it was time to stop this cruel tradition.

"The dog meat trade in China is first and foremost about crime and cruelty’’ she said. "The Yulin festival is one small but distressing example of an unspeakably cruel trade run by dog thieves and sellers who routinely steal pets in broad daylight using poison darts and rope nooses, defy public health and safety laws, and cause horrendous suffering, all for a meat that most people in China don't consume."

As per reports, the petition has been delivered to the Chinese Embassy and has received the support of animal welfare groups and celebrities, who have demanded and the festival be stopped.

The RSPCA's head of international, Paul Littlefair added that there is growing opposition to the event and the group hopes to see an end to it soon.

"The Yulin Dog Meat Festival is one of the high-profile reasons why the RSPCA is working closely with the Chinese authorities to help address animal cruelty’’ he said.

The Yulin dog meat festival was first launched in 2010 began on Friday and is held at Guangxi in China that will last for 10 days.

More than 1.5 million people have signed an online petition demanding to ban the sick festival.