15,000 Dogs Slaughtered for Food Festival in China; Experts Propose Ban on Dog Meat (PHOTOS)

Over 15,000 dogs were slaughtered for Chinese festival in Yulin in eastern China, which kicked off during the weekend.

Yulin is recognised throughout the region for producing some of the tastiest dog meat in the world. The festival started a couple years ago and draws sizable crowds of people who descend upon the city to take part in the event.

'It is just like other meat. Smaller animals tend to be more delicate and sweeter while very big dogs have a strong, muscular taste,” said Local Lu Hin, the Daily Mail reported.

"We proved that when we started the festival a few years ago and everybody accepts that the best dog meat dishes come from Yulin. That was why we created the festival and the number of visitors we get is a testimony to the fact that everybody recognises how good the dog meat is from the region", he added.

Preserved dog meat is an accepted cuisine in some parts of Guangdong province as certain breeds of dogs are raised up to 3 or 4 months old and slaughtered on farms, local media reported.

Eating dog is a socially acceptable practice in parts of southern China. Dog meat has been a source of food in some areas of China from around 500 BC and possibly even earlier.

However, the dog meat industry has come under fire recently with many animal rights groups claiming animal cruelty. The first draft of a law against animal abuse, aiming to protect animals from being hurt or killed in a cruel manner, was completed by a group of experts and was due to be raised for legislation in April, local media reported earlier this year.

The proposal included jailing people who eat dog meat for up 15 days. While many Chinese enjoy rich dog meat, especially during cold winters, some object to the practice in some regions of beating dogs to death to release the blood into the meat.

Chinese vendors prepare to weigh dogs to be sold as food at an exotic game market in Guangzhou Janaury 15, 2004. World Health Organisation experts on a fact-finding mission in the capital of Guangdong said on Friday they found evidence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus in such markets.

A man pulls a dog that is about to be slaughtered in the backyard of his home in Beijing March 26, 2008. The man breeds dogs partially as pets and partially for food delivered to restaurants.

A vendor prepares to skin dogs at a food market in Nanjing, Jiangsu province June 12, 2008. Dog meat has long been a popular delicacy in China, and is commonly known as "fragrant meat"

A worker hangs preserved dog meat to be dried outside a slaughter house in Dongbei county of Lianzhou, Guangdong province, November 25, 2009.

Slaughtered dogs are seen at a slaughter house in Dongbei county of Lianzhou, Guangdong province November 24, 2009.

A worker removes a dog's fur at a slaughter house in Dongbei county of Lianzhou, Guangdong province, November 24, 2009. Preserved dog meat is an accepted cuisine in some parts of Guangdong province as certain breeds of dogs are raised up to 3 or 4 months old and slaughtered on farms, local media reported. Picture taken November 24, 2009.

Some of the favorite dog meat dish includes braised dog meat with tofu and dry cabbage, dog meat tripe in sauce, sengsu (tongseng asu), sate jamu, and kambing balap bosintang.

Dog meat is popular more in the northeastern and southern parts of China, such as Guizhou Province, Guangxi Province, Guandong Province, and Fujian Province.

Preserved dog meat is hung to be dried outside a slaughter house in Dongbei county of Lianzhou, Guangdong province November 25, 2009. Preserved dog meat is an accepted cuisine in some parts of Guangdong province as certain breeds of dogs are raised up to 3 or 4 months old and slaughtered on farms, local media reported. Picture taken November 25, 2009.

At the annual International Food Festival in Shanxi Province, dog meat is among the most popular dish. Every summer, around 15,000 dogs are slaughtered at this festival.

Eating processed red meat and red meat in general, like hot dogs and hamburgers, on a regular basis can lead to type 2 diabetes, according to a new study from Harvard University.

A woman eats a hotdog at Dino Beach in Shanghai July 19, 2008. Dino beach, also known as the "Fake Beach", claims to be one of the biggest water parks in Asia with sand imported from beaches in South China, and has attractions such as wave machines