The dogs bound for brutal and bloody deaths at China's 'dog meat festival'

Warning: Contains imagery some people may find upsetting

In Yulin, Southern China, they celebrate the summer solstice with a Dog Meat Festival.

The city trades in the meat all year round, but on June 21st there is a special slaughter to mark this date in the lunar calendar. It’s believed it will ward off the heat of the summer months.

The event and the trade in dog meat, which is popular in Yulin, has attracted growing international condemnation.

This year over 11 million people signed a petition calling on the Yulin Government to halt the festival and the sale of dog meat in the city.

Every day around 200 dogs are killed for human consumption in Yulin and they suffer the most brutal and bloody of deaths.

The dogs, and often cats too, are kept in appalling conditions crammed into cages from where they watch other animals killed.

As soon as we entered the central market in Yulin we were confronted with dog meat, laid out for sale and by traders preparing the meat for sale to local restaurants.

It is a gruesome sight. Aware of the international campaign against them, many of the stall holders became hostile when they noticed us filming.

We moved to a second location where we saw cooked dogs being hung up on hooks outside a number of shops.

Inside we could see dozens waiting to be sold.

There are a number of dog farms in China where the animals are bred for their meat or sale but an increasing number of dogs are being stolen off the street. Family pets or guard dogs snatched by dog meat traders.

In Asia dog meat consumption has been going down but it is still prevalent in many areas including in northern and southern China, South Korea and Vietnam.

In response to public pressure, the Yulin authorities have set up highway checkpoints to stop incoming trucks with dogs for slaughter but it’s not clear whether this is a permanent measure or just for the festival.

The Yulin government has pledged to take action to end the festival but the pledge has yet to be turned into action.