Kennel club says 2019 event will further animal welfare despite protests
China Kennel Union (CKU) said Monday that it strongly opposes the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and will seize upon its hosting of the prestigious World Dog Show (WDS) in 2019 in Shanghai to help protect animal welfare in China, after the show's Belgian organizer came under fire from hundreds of thousands of activists over its choice of venue.
In a statement, the CKU strongly condemned the festival in Yulin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomus Region, saying that the event does not respect life. The organization added that it hopes hosting the WDS in China will help rectify Chinese people's attitude toward animal welfare and will advance the spirit of respect for animals and care for life.
"The event aims to raise the Chinese government's attention to companion animals and to call for the government to quickly establish laws that protect animals in order to save them from being abused and killed," said the statement.
Nearly 590,000 people across the globe have launched an online protest against the Belgium-based Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), which organizes the WDS, asking that the organization not allow China to host the 2019 WDS unless the country puts a stop to Yulin's annual dog meat festival.
A petition on Care2.com, a social networking and activism site focused on "a healthy and green lifestyle," said around 10,000 dogs enter the competition annually. The petition also claims that 10,000 dogs are eaten each year at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. A total of 588,221 supporters had signed the petition as of press time.
Yves de Clercq, the executive director of FCI, told the Global Times, "The decision to award the WDS to China was taken by the majority of the FCI General Assembly [of about 70 voting countries]. And FCI respects the decision.
De Clercq acknowledged that theFCI has received petitions against the 2019 WDS. "What means should the protesters use is not our business…The FCI General Assembly is the only body empowered to possibly change this decision," he added.
A spokesperson with CKU's public relations department confirmed with the Global Times on Monday that some members of the FCI have proposed a recall vote on the 2019 WDS host country at the next FCI General Assembly in 2017, but the CKU has received no official notice of a new vote.
The Kennel Club, the UK's largest organization dedicated to the welfare of dogs, has already stated that it will not attend the 2019 World Dog Show, the Mirror reported Friday.
In remarks on its official website, the Norwegian Kennel Club also explicitly urged the FCI to move the 2019 WDS and advised all dog owners and judges from Norway not to participate in the event to be held in China.
