by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:55 AM ET, Fri May 19, 2017
The Humane Society International and the Duo Duo Project are reporting that the Yulin government has prohibited the sale of dog meat at an annual festival in the Chinese city.
The ban comes just weeks before the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, and will be put into effect June 15 before the aforementioned event begins on June 21. Restaurants, street vendors and market traders who violate the ban will face fines of up to 100,000 yuan and could be arrested.
While the news is welcomed by the animal activist community, the ban is temporary and the sale of dog meat throughout the year is still expected to continue in the region.
The hope is that the ban is a sign of growing political will in China to stop the archaic practices.
"Even if this is a temporary ban, we hope this will have a domino effect, leading to the collapse of the dog meat trade. I have visited Yulin many times in the last two years," Duo Duo Project executive director Andrea Gung said in a statement.
"This ban is consistent with my experience that Yulin and the rest of the country are changing for the better. I am very impressed that the younger generation in Yulin and in China is as compassionate as their counterparts in the rest of world."
[READMORE] READ MORE: A New World Of Help for Pet Owners Who Travel[/READMORE]
Activists are encouraging Chinese lawmakers to make several major changes, including making the ban permanent, highlighting the new penalties against offenders, enforcing food safety laws and building a facility to take care of animals confiscated from the dog meat trade.
A petition started last year compiled an astounding 11 million signatures and was handed to the Yulin government in Beijing on behalf of Humane Society International and other activist groups. In addition, Florida Representative Alcee Hastings introduced a congressional resolution last year condemning the Yulin dog meat festival.
Activists in China are also working year-round to stage protests to end the dog meat trade and rescue animals from the industry.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
