No matter the numbers, retired schoolteacher and animal lover Yang Xiaoyun, pushed through with spending her 7,000 yuan or some $1,100 to secure the lives of 100 canines that were meant to be slaughtered for Yulin, China's Dog Festival.
Yang paid the money in the market to save the lives of 100 dogs that are meant to be killed, cooked and served as one of the main foods in the traditional summer solstice festival in this southwest province in China alongside lychees - a seasonal fruit, according to Agence France Presse via Rappler.com.
Yang travelled 2,000 kilometers (124 miles) from her home in the Tianjin province just to save the canines, which she plans to keep in a shelter for animals she had built.
Hong Kong-based charity Animals Asia said that majority of "meat dogs" sold in China are from stolen pets and strays, according to an investigation published this month by the organization, AFP said.
The city government of Yulin prefers to keep silent on what animal activists are saying regarding their Yulin Dog Meat Festival, according to Huffington Post.
The Yulin government said it is not an official event, but locals have eaten the delicacy as part of tradition. Authorities warned locals regarding food safety and stated it would punish those who steal and poison dogs, the publication said.
Animal activists like Yang are hoping that Yulin province would follow what Zhejiang province had done - put a stop to the 600-year-old dog meat festival after a massive campaign, the China Daily News reported.
