More than 1,400 dogs and cats were found dead or dying aboard a truck en route to slaughterhouses in Yulin, south China, according to animal rights activists who intercepted the vehicle last week.
Humane Society International (HSI) reported on October 10 that, of the 1,408 animals discovered, 378 dogs and cats were already dead when the truck was stopped.
The rescuers, comprised of local animal groups and anti-dog meat trade activists, claimed to have saved approximately 1,000 dogs and cats from the “death truck.”
HSI reported that some of these animals required medical care on the side of the road due to open wounds, broken bones, respiratory problems, and extreme dehydration.
Staff at local shelters are currently treating and caring for them, the charity added.
“The scent of death, diarrhea, and vomit was terrible,” stated Capital Animal Welfare Association activist Hao Dayue to HSI.
Hao stated, “I witnessed a number of dogs and cats die on the side of the road despite desperate attempts to save them; all I could do was embrace them as they went away.”
Hao assessed that the majority of the 718 dogs and 690 cats on the truck were likely stolen pets and strays, respectively.
HSI reported that police halted the “death truck” on a highway in Hubei province, around midway between Fucheng and Yulin counties.
The vehicle drove from Fucheng county in the north to Hubei province, where it was apprehended. Its original destination was the southern Chinese county of Yulin.
Photograph/Google Maps
The two truck drivers were apprehended by police and reported to city officials in Xiantao, Hubei province, according to HSI.
According to the NGO, the trader who hired them and obtained the dogs and cats is also under investigation by China’s Agriculture Bureau for shipping sick animals across provinces without the required documents.
The Ministry of Agriculture did not react immediately to an inquiry from Insider.
There are no nationwide animal protection regulations in China that prohibit animal cruelty. In February 2020, Beijing outlawed the trade and consumption of wildlife in response to rumors that COVID-19 may have transmitted from live animals in Chinese wet markets to humans.
However, only two cities on the Chinese mainland have prohibited the dog and cat meat trade: Shenzhen and Zhuhai.
In China, the consumption of dogs and cats is mainly restricted to a small number of locations, but the practice can be widespread in specific locations.
The Yulin Dog Meat Festival is one of China’s most well-known events involving the consumption of dog meat, and it is frequently opposed by animal rights organizations in the region.
HSI estimates that 10 million dogs and 4 million cats are murdered annually in China for human consumption.