Police officers and animal activists from Vshine and Humane Society International in China intercepted on Monday, April 4, on a road in Dalian, Anhui province (China), a truck loaded with 260 puppies and 22 dogs, illegally transported for the meat and pet trade.
The animals were crammed into small cages, including 12 puppies possibly killed by asphyxiation. Activists who participated in the performance called the cargo a "truck from hell." Humane Society Internacitional and Vshine have released images of the conditions in which the rescued animals were found.
The truck driver had taken the dogs, all destined to be sold for the meat or pet trade, on a grueling journey of more than 1,500 kilometers from Guizhou to Huainan before local activists spotted him on the road. Volunteers from the anti-dog meat trade campaign for Humane Society International and its Chinese partner group, Vshine discovered the cargo and alerted the police.
One of the puppies killed in the intercepted camÃón .
Following the complaint of the alleged illegal transport of live animals, local police immediately sent law enforcement officers to intercept the truck, forcing it to stop on the side of the road. When the truck driver was unable to provide the documents required to legally transport live animals across provincial borders, the dogs were confiscated and placed in custody and veterinary care.
Adult dogs were to be sold to a slaughterhouse for human consumption, while puppies were originally intended to be sold as pets, although many were so sick when they were rescued that they would likely have also ended up in the slaughterhouse, Humane Society International said.
Veterinarians in the supervision of the state of health of rescued animals.
"Sadly, conditions were so dire that 12 of the puppies had died when they intercepted the truck, and another 18 died shortly after from parvovirus and distemper, both highly contagious diseases that cause serious illness and possibly death in dogs."
The animal advocacy organization explains that the person who discovered the truck, surnamed Teng, felt compelled to intervene: "My heart sank when I saw the truck on the road that night. I knew it was going to be bad because there were so many dogs crammed inside, but I didn't expect there to be so many small puppies. Everyone was crying for our attention, covered in their own urine and feces, and in very bad shape. It was disgusting what they endured, like a truck from hell for those poor dogs. I noticed little Apple right away because I had lost a lot of fur, and my heart just melted. He wanted to do everything he could to make up for it so that he could forget his ordeal, but his suffering had been too much. It terrifies me to think what would have happened to everyone, and I'm very sad for everyone who, like Apple, didn't make it. We thank the Huainan police who acted so quickly to help save these dogs.
The remaining dogs are now safe and receive veterinary care, nutritious food, water and rest at nearby shelters. Once their quarantine period is over, they will be transported to the Vshine shelter, which is funded by Humane Society International. The rescue comes just three months before the mass slaughter of dogs and cats in Yulin, and is a timely reminder that suffering and death at the hands of dog meat traders is the fate of millions of animals across China each year.
Dr Peter Li, HSI's policy specialist in China, said: "This sad story is all too common in China, where hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats every month endure heinous suffering like this to make a profit for the meat and pet trade. Chinese animal activists regularly alert the police when trucks are identified and, in this case, the Huainan police were exemplary in their response. I am hopeful that more law enforcement agencies in China can act in the interest of public safety, public health and animal welfare like the Huainan police. The condition of these dogs was so terrible that it is likely that many more would have died before reaching their intended destination, and the sickly puppies would probably have been sold as meat just like the adult dogs. Thank God for the Chinese animal activists and police who saved so many lives,
Dog meat trade in China
Humane Society International recalls, coinciding with the intervention in Anhui that "most people in China do not eat dogs, in fact, dog meat is only infrequently eaten by a small percentage of the Chinese population." A 2016 survey found that more than half of Chinese citizens (51.7%) think the dog meat trade should be banned altogether, and the majority (69.5%) have never eaten dog meat. (Survey conducted by the Chinese polling company Horizon and commissioned by the Chinese group China Animal Welfare Association in collaboration with Humane Society International and Avaaz).
Even in Yulin (where the so-called meat "festival" is still taking place, in June each year), a 2017 survey conducted by charities registered in the Chinese state and assisted by research staff from the Yulin municipal government, shows that the majority of people (72%) do not eat dog regularly despite the efforts of dog meat traders to promote it.
In 2020, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs made an official statement that dogs are companion animals and not "cattle" to eat, and two major mainland Chinese cities, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, banned the consumption of dog and cat meat.
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