Puppies destined for slaughter at a Chinese dog meat festival have been rescued at the 11th hour. Activists saved 10 pups from being boiled and sold as meat at the annual Yulin festival, which starts this weekend.
Over 10,000 dogs have been killed for meat in previous years. Horrifying new pictures show the puppies cramped into a small cage beside a blood-stained chopping board.
But now the pups are on their way to a shelter where they will be safe. Most of the dogs killed for the meat trade in China are stolen pets, stolen guard dogs, as well as street dogs grabbed from towns and cities.
The team suspected the puppies were stolen pets as they were all friendly and challenged the stall holder, who then agreed to give them up to avoid a