Local Advocates Oppose Yulin Dog Meat Festival
On Tuesday, June 21, United States Congressman Lee Zeldin (NY-1), along with New York City and Long Island animal rights and advocacy groups will be traveling to Washington D.C. for a press conference to speak out against China’s Yulin Dog Meat Festival, which begins the same day.
During this 10-day festival, which has occurred annually in China since 2009, thousands of dogs are caged and tortured before being killed and eaten. While dog is eaten as a delicacy in Chinese culture, people all over the world are horrified by the practice. As a response, more than 12 million people internationally have signed a petition opposing the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, and protests against it have occurred in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and in New York City.
As of now, China does not have any anti-animal cruelty laws, allowing animal abuse and the slaughter of dogs to occur.
“It’s barbaric—the way they [the animals] are treated, abused and beaten before they are killed [just] so that the meat can taste better,” Suffolk SPCA Chief, Roy Gross says, explaining his disgust with the festival.
As the event draws nearer, New York City and Long Island animal advocacy groups are hopeful that protests and the press conference in Washington D.C. could help stop the festival from occurring in the future. Congressman Lee Zeldin, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, will also be proposing a new bill to Congress to help prevent Animal Cruelty.
The Suffolk SPCA and the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation are among the Long Island groups attending the protest. Both groups, along with others, will support Zeldin’s resolution, which includes condemning the festival and creating more effective food safety and meat trading laws. Additionally, Zeldin’s resolution calls for an anti-animal cruelty act to be established in China.
The International Humane Society is currently in China protesting the festival, and more than 26 members of Congress are supporting Zeldin’s resolution.
The press conference begins at 2 p.m. at the “House Triangle” outside of the US Capitol Building’s East Front on Tuesday. Look for the Long Island advocacy groups, who will be bringing dogs in purple ribbons to support efforts toward ending animal abuse.