Woman buys 100 dogs to save them from being eaten as meat

A woman spent £630 on 100 dogs to stop them being killed and served up as food at a controversial festival in China.

Retired school teacher Yang Xiaoyun travelled 1,500 miles from her home in Tiankin, China, to a dog meat festival in Yulin in an attempt to save the animals.

Photos from the event show Xiaoyun, 65, walking past cages where the dogs were being kept as she made her purchases to free them.

Animal rights activists have condemned the annual festival, where up to 10,000 dogs are killed each year for consumers.

Animal lover Ricky Gervais spoke of his horror at the festival.

He said in a statement: “I will never forget the look of bewilderment and fear on the faces of these poor animals – the dogs and cats await a horrible fate.

"No animal deserves to be treated like this.”

Others have tweeted their disgust under the #StopYulin2015 hashtag.

Hong Kong charity Animals Asia claim that most dog meat - which is legal in China - comes from stolen pets or strays found on the streets.

They also state that the the dogs are treated inhumanely, with many being cramped in small cages while others are beaten or poisoned to death.

Xiaoyun has rescued hundreds of animals since 1995, and now houses them at her own sanctuary, called the Common Home for All.

Her shelter houses almost 1,500 dogs and 200 cats and she is now hoping to open a second sanctuary - in Yulin.

Image courtesy of Twitter