Locked In Cages Like Livestock, China’s Dogs Save Seconds Before They Are Slaughtered On The Dinner Table
Locked in cages like livestock, China’s dogs save seconds before they are slaughtered on the dinner table
The truck was discovered by a disgusted driver in Ghizhou province
The quick-thinking driver took a photo and posted it online
Animal activists began blocking the truck and police were called
The police stopped the truck at the next toll gate
Published :12:50 BST, 7 March 2013 | Update : 12:51 BST, 7 March 2013
Crammed into small cages and barely able to breathe, hundreds are pictured packed into a truck in China intended to be served to diners at some of the country’s dog meat restaurants .
But these, discovered in Guiyang, Ghizhou Province, China, were saved by animal activists thanks to a rallying cry on a social networking site made by a passing motorist .
The quick-thinking driver, horrified by the truck’s location along one of the province’s main highways, took photos of the truck and posted them on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter.
Horrifying: A truck carrying dogs intended to be served in restaurants in China was discovered on a highway in Ghizhou province
Shock: The animals were destined for dinner tables in restaurants in China before a driver spotted the truck and alerted animal activists via Weibo
“Many are dying, and some have already died,” he wrote. Please help!’
Some animal lovers who discovered the driver’s location immediately took to the streets to stop the truck while others called the police.
Officers were able to track the truck and stop it at the next toll gate.
The truck was then taken to a nearby police station and as news of the incident quickly spread online, many animal lovers showed up to help take care of the animals.
The trade and transport of animals in China has long been a controversial topic and has drawn criticism from Western animal activists.
Outrage: Animal activists helped block the truck and unload animals from it
Helpers: Animal lovers and veterinarians began caring for the animals after they were unloaded from the truck
Horrifying conditions: Dogs were crammed into small cages and could barely breathe when the van was seized by police
Several large markets selling dog meat for human consumption came under scrutiny several years ago when they were suspected of being the source of the SARS virus.
At one of the large markets on a 60-acre plot of land in Quang Thinh, cages filled with dogs are piled high.
When the sale was agreed upon, the animals were reportedly beaten until they were near death and then handed over to the buyer.
Suffering: The rescued animals are pictured recovering after they were released from their cages
Injured: One of the rescued was photographed lying on the ground as he recovered from his ordeal
Last year, a group of animal activists unsuccessfully tried to stop a truck carrying about 500 people discovered at a service station on Jingha Expressway after they were attacked by thugs.
Another group was more successful when a truck with 505 packed inside was stopped in Yunnan province.
Although the Chinese were the first to homestead and keep them as pets, they have been consumed as food in the country for thousands of years.
Vets and animal activists are pictured tending to some of the animals after their release