China plans on banning the Yulin Dog Meat Festival's signature dish this year - although cats and other animals will still be on the menu at the controversial event, according to new reports.
Thousands of puppies and kitties - many of them stolen pets and strays - are slaughtered for food at the annual celebration, and international opposition to the event has been growing since it began in 2010, The Independent reports.
Now local officials are set to spare at least one of those four-legged species from the grill, with fines of around $14,511 for anyone caught flogging fidos for food at the June 21 festival, said activists from the Humane Society.
Some 10 million dogs and cats end up in Chinese citizen's stomachs every year, so the festival ban won't end the trade entirely, but animal lovers say it's a good start.
"Even if this is a temporary ban, we hope this will have a domino effect, leading to the collapse of the dog meat trade," said Andrea Gung, executive director of Duo Duo Animal Welfare Project, told the Independent.