Animal rights campaigners in China have rescued 430 dogs destined for dinner table after staging a blockade at a toll station.
China Daily reported that more than 200 people blocked the checkpoint near Zhangjiawan to demand the release of the animals, which were being transported from Henan province to restaurants in Changchun, capital of Jilin province.
The dogs, many of them stolen family pets, had been trapped in a truck for two days with no food or water, said Wang Qi of the China Small Animal Protection Association.
About 10 had already died, while another 100 showed symptoms of dehydration and infectious diseases.
“It’s clear that people in Henan have been stealing pets and selling them to restaurants,” said Wang, who added that the truck contained golden retrievers and huskies with bells and nametags still around their necks.
He said that the driver told campaigners at the scene that his logistics company dispatches a truck full of dogs to Changchun every eight days.
Following 15 hours of negotiations, and police intervention, the logistics company eventually agreed to sell the dogs to the protestors for 11,500 yuan (US$1,760), with the money put up by pet service provider Leepet Holdings and the Shangshan Foundation charity.
