Overview
- Campaigners report the festival reopened on Monday and will run through June 30, with activists monitoring markets and transport routes for animals bound for slaughter.
- Earlier this month Chinese and international groups say they permanently closed a Yulin dog slaughterhouse and rescued nine dogs, including three wearing collars that campaigners say indicate stolen pets.
- Activists and videos from the city describe animals being driven long distances in cramped cages without food or water and then slaughtered at market tables and small facilities.
- Groups estimate current peak slaughter numbers have fallen from historical highs near 10,000 to roughly 2,000–3,000 dogs, but they warn thousands could still be killed before the event ends.
- Public opinion and local rules have shifted in recent years with surveys showing falling support for eating dogs and several Chinese cities restricting the trade, a trend campaigners say is shrinking the festival’s scale.