After the video of a greyhound being boiled alive shocked the world, why is dog meat considered a delicacy in China?
The practice of eating dog meat is common in China and many other parts of the world
A RECENT video showing a greyhound being boiled alive has caused uproar after it was leaked online.
It is believed that tougher meat is considered to be tastier so dogs are often killed in torturous ways so their bodies are filled with adrenaline - this includes being boiled or skinned alive.
To the western world, the thought of eating dog meat seems both incredulous and horrifying, but it is a practice that is still common in many areas of China and Asia.
Why do people in China eat dog meat?
The practice dates back to 500 BC, when it is thought that domesticated wolves were eaten.
Nowadays, many people in China believe that dog meat has medicinal qualities and eat it for health benefits.
Supposedly, the meat promotes a healthy liver and can enhance male sex-drive.
In the northern provinces of China in Winter especially, dog meat is eaten as a way to heighten the body temperature and promote warmth and is considered a delicacy.
In ancient China, dogs were considered as both friends and food, they were often buried alongside their owners as a sacrifice to the gods.
But it's not just people in China who eat dog meat.
Until very recently the delicacy was eaten in America, Africa and Europe.
How many people in China still eat dog meat?
It is estimated that every year in China 10 million dogs are slaughtered to be eaten.
The main places where dog meat is considered a delicacy are Guangdong, Yunnan, Guangxi and the northern provinces.
Yulin in Guangxi is famous for its annual dog meat festival.
This festival is aimed to celebrate the Summer solstice, but the Chinese government insist that it is simply a commercial festival organised by restaurants and business, and not a cultural festival.
During the ten day festival, around 10,000 dogs are slaughtered for their meat.
Is it legal to eat dog meat in China?
You may be surprised, but it is in fact legal in both China and Britain to eat dog meat.
However, dog meat is considered such a delicacy in China that a large black-market for the sale of dogs has grown.
Much of the dog meat for sale is from stolen pets that are kept in cramped cages.
In 2014 in one province alone, 11 people were arrested for poisoning over 1,000 dogs and selling the poisonous meat to restaurants.
The government in China have recently begun to impose stricter rules on the treatment of dogs, and since the year 2000 the amount of dog meat eaten has dramatically decreased.
Why don't we eat dog meat in Britain?
In Britain dogs are kept primarily as pets, whereas in China they are work animals.
For this reason, we have a very different attachment to the animals and view them more as humans than people do in China.
Brits find it harder to imagine eating dog meat, because we have a closer bond with them.
That said, in times when food was scarce, such as World War One, many more countries turned to eating dog meat as a way to avoid starvation.
Is anything being done to stop the sale of dog meat?
The creation of the Chinese Companion Animal Protection Network (CCAPN) has had a large impact in the number of dogs being slaughtered for their meat in China.
A petition on the Chinese version of Facebook, Weibo, that calls for the dog meat festival to be banned, has also received more than 11 million signatures.