One Hongkonger』s mission to get pets saved from Chinese dog meat festival to new homes in the US

The dogs waiting to be rehomed at the shelter in Shenzhen

One Hongkonger is recruiting volunteers to join a trans-Pacificrescue mission getting dogs saved from the Yulin dog meat festivalto new homes in the United States.

Natalie Phan said she was looking for volunteers flying directwith Cathay Pacific Airways from Hong Kong to major American citiessuch as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York, who arewilling to take the dogs with them.

She will meet volunteers at Hong Kong International Airport andhelp them check in with  the animal in a container, which theywill pick up at their destination. She will pay all extra baggagecosts and provide the necessary legal documents for theanimals.

Between 10 million and 20 million dogs are killed for foodannually in China, according to the Humane Society International,an animal rights charity. At the controversial annual festivalin Yulin, Guangxi province, thousands of the animals are killed inconditions activists say are brutal, with dogs beaten and boiledalive in the belief that the more terrified they are, the tastierthe meat.

Activists often save batches of the animals from theslaughterhouse during the festival, with a view to finding themhomes abroad. And that is where Phan』s volunteers come in.

「The traveller would not have to pay anything. We have alreadymatched the dogs with American families over the internet and theadopted parents will be waiting to pick up the animals at thearrival hall of the airport,」 Phan, who has been involved in therescue since last year, said. 

「The most difficult part for the traveller is to claim the dogsonce they arrive and carry them past immigration, where theypresent all the legal documents to the officers.」

Having a volunteer take the dog to the US costs half as much astransporting the animal to the country alone, she said.

At least 10 dogs, mostly mongrels, were waiting at a clinic inShenzhen, mainland China, to be rehomed, said Phan, who has beenappealing for the public』s help on a Facebook page called Fight DogMeat.

Phan said the animals have to head so far afield – ratherthan just coming to Hong Kong – because bringing dogs to thecity is complicated. Dogs and cats from the mainland have to gointo quarantine for a minimum of four months, according to theAgriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

The dogs in Shenzhen were among about 1,000 who survived thefestival in Yulin in June last year. A few days before thedogs were set to be killed and eaten, Chinese animal activistsintercepted the truck carrying them, in cages, to a slaughterhouse.The activists quickly called for backup and hundreds of volunteersrushed to the scene, using private vehicles to besiege thelorry.

They demanded to see health and transportation certificates forthe animals, and when the driver failed to present the documentsthe activists called the local authorities. Officials eventuallylet the activists unload the dogs and move them to a shelter inGuangzhou.

When the dogs were rescued, many were delirious with hunger andthirst, wailing loudly or just whimpering, said Phan, the onlyHongkonger who is still helping with the cross-border rescue. Phansaid many later died due to extreme poor health. Some have alreadybeen adopted.

In the long term, Phan said she hoped to recruit as many flightvolunteers as possible, as she expected more animal rescue missionson the mainland.

Carman Lam, who volunteered to take a mongrel called James toNew York City, said she was happy to help. 

Why this dog was saved from the dinner bowl in South Korea

「I am an animal-lover and I heard about the dog meat festival inChina a long time ago. It is such a cruel event. I always feel sobad for the dogs,」 said Lam, who holds a US passport and visitsHong Kong every two years.

「Time and location was just right for me [to volunteer], so Ithought it was meant to be.」

On March 14, 2017 Lam took James to New York. When they landedat John F. Kennedy Airport, they met Maria, from Long Island,and her family, who had decided to adopt James after watching avideo appeal on Facebook.

Lam said the process was smooth and it took her 20 more minutesthan usual to pick up James and get through immigration checks.

Phan said Cathay Pacific allows dogs to be checked in as pets,and flying direct would make the transit easier for the animals.Cathay Pacific said it carries pets in the cargo section of theaircraft, which has the same temperature and pressure as thepassenger cabin. But it has certain restrictions on the animal』sbreed, size, and container requirements. For example, the dog mustbe able to stand, turn around and lie down naturally in thecage.