The annual summer dog meat festival in southern Chinese city of Yulin has firmly come under fire from animal right activists, calling to ban the controversial festival. The activists said that the festival promotes "extreme cruelty against animals" and "unhygienic food handling practices."

A coalition of animal right activists said on Monday that they will continue to seek ban over the festival and press for a strong legislation to ban slaughtering of dogs and cats as well as consumption of their meat.

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Yulin's dog meat festival, which annually takes place on June 20, has always been under the radar of animal lovers from across the world. The social media world is abuzz with posts - mostly posted by animal lovers - supporting the ban.

Even local animal right organizations in China have termed this festival as "uncivilized' and "not being aligned with values of modern society."

"China needs to progress with the times," Yu Hongmei said,  Director of the VShine Animal Protection Association. "Preventing cruelty to animals is the sign of a mature, civilized society."     

However, festival finds tactical support from various quarters. For instance, local restaurant owners defend this festival, claiming that eating dog's meat during summer is a normal thing in China.          

Local animal right activists quash this theory. They claim that the dog meat festival has no cultural value and allege that the festival was only recently invented to drum up the business of meat industry.

Dog Meat is Harmful For Human Health      

Animal right activists claim that dog meat is highly dangerous for health, as it spreads deadly diseases like Trichinellosis, Rabies, and Cholera. Not surprisingly, Yulin city frequently ranks amongst top Chinese cities in cases of human rabies. Even Guangxi region, where dog slaughter is common, is ranked amongst five worst Chinese cities affected by rabies.

Yu Dezhi, secretary general of Animal Protection Power, says he is confident that change in consumption habits will make a strong case against dog meat and also against Yulin festival.

"There is simply no market for dog meat among young people," Yu Dezhi said.

Animal right activists also blame lax laws in China to keep a tab on dog slaughter, as they have failed to prosecute dog thieves and people perpetuating cruelty over animals.

Tagschina dog meat festival, china, Dog Meat Festival