China's annual dog eating festival Yulin Summer Solstice Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, where some 10,000 canines are said to be beaten and killed for human consumption, has set social media ablaze.
According to the Washington Post, the festival in China's Guangxi region Yulin marks the start of summer.
The annual festival is set begin this year on June 22.
According to animal rights advocates, dogs in Yulin are stolen from farms and family homes.
The government of China, however, said that "the so-called summer solstice lychee dog meat festival does not exist".