How to Rat Out Eateries Serving Dog and Cat Meat

Animal rights activists are escalating their war against China's dog and cat meat trades. And they want your help.

Together for Animals in China (TACN) announced a new campaign on June 15 aimed at conscientious patrons wishing to report restaurants that sell dog and cat meat-laced dishes. The NGO's spokespeople posted on WeChat about the Food and Drug Administration hotline reserved for lodging such complaints (12331). They also asked patrons to snap photos of menu pages that list dishes containing dog or cat meat. Lastly, the activists suggested that such concerned customers ask waiters about those menu items, while discretely recording the conversation via a smartphone etc. Said spokespeople did not respond to interview requests before press time.

Anonymous sources at other Chinese animals rights groups say they have put on internal training sessions to help their members report similar restaurant violations, though they have not reached out to the general public on the matter like TACN has.

While they are seldom seen in northern China, dog meat dishes have remained fairly common and popular in some southern provinces and autonomous regions like Guangxi and Changsha, along with parts of South Korea, Vietnam, and other locales. In some circles dog meat is seen as highly healthy and nutritious. However, China's Food and Drug Administration has no legal certification system in place for dog or cat meat, meaning their sale violates food safety laws. The dog and cat meat trades are further mired in controversy and illegality by their unregulated black markets, and their suppliers' frequent stealing of pets from proper owners.

RELATED: Concert in Support of Animal Rescue and Welfare Programs, Jun 21

TACN's new campaign coincides with the increasingly controversial annual Yulin dog meat festival, for which thousands of dogs are slaughtered. Slated for June 21, this year's festival has been met with major resistance. In fact, a petition imploring the event's barring attracted 11 million signatures, making it the biggest protest yet against the festival.

Photos: Nymeta.co, TACN