Gruesome Yulin Dog Festival Must End! You Have a Voice

NOTE: Graphic images.

The world is full of cruel, barbaric acts and images -- what with ISIS beheading people on video and human traffickers said to sell more people into slavery than in the 19th century. Some of this we can do little about as one single person, despite our hope to the contrary.

Yet, one inhumane tradition happens each summer in southern China that can be stopped -- and must be stopped -- with voices from you and I. It is as simple as 1+1+1 = the tsunamia of social media.

Each June 21, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival takes place in Guangxi province. It is real, despite local government protests to the contrary. In it, the meat from thousands of dogs and cats are consumed.

These nearly 10,000 sentient animals arrive to Yulin in appalling conditions -- often stuffed into cages and dragged on poles -- and the manner in which they're killed, skinned and eaten is horrific, with many clubbed, burned, electrocuted and some skinned alive, according to local activist reports. It is simply torture.

(Duo Duo Animal Welfare Project)

(Billy HCkwok)

(Billy HCkwok)

The people of Yulin have celebrated the Summer Solstice with this festival since the 1990s, and use the dog and cat meat to eat with lychees and drink grain alcohol. They do not consider any of the above conditions an issue, not even the way the animals arrive or are killed, cooked and consumed.

Animal rights groups and acivitists for years have been trying to stop the festivities. Yet, despite huge social media protest inside China, it's scheduled to happened again this June.

Just recently, Twitter globally alit with the horrifying images of the event with hopes to shame and put pressure on local authories to stop the festival.

Learn what you can about this event. CNN has done some good reporting on it. Other media outlets have, as well.

Keep up the pressure! Western consumers of Chinese products and Chinese tourism have a good deal of power. Let us use it.

(Rueters)

TIME reports it well: TIME.

Sign the petition demanding the festival be stopped here.

Here's the non-profit -- the Duo Duo Animal Welfare Project - working hard to stop the festival here.

A detailed article on Chinese Animal Activists fighting to stop Yulin from Humane Society International

A Facebook group tirelessly working to stop the event

Frequently asked questions about the festival here.