Video: Have protests had any impact on Yulin's dog meat festival?

Last year, the internet exploded with videos of dogs being slaughtered and eaten at a meat festival in China.

The Yulin Dog Meat Festival, first held in 2009, has received widespread criticism and there has been immense pressure on local authorities to discontinue it. Activist groups like Humane Society International have been working to put an end to this festival that has directed global attention to the otherwise obscure Chinese city of Yulin.

This year's edition of festival began on Monday amid widespread global outrage and internet protests, shortly after a campaign seeking a ban on it received 11 million signatures through the internet. Thousands of dogs and cats are killed and eaten during the 10-day event.

This report by Vietnamese channel Nguoi-Viet TV talks about the signature campaign and shows glimpses of previous editions of the festival.

In light of the protests, state officials have reportedly banned the slaughter of dogs in public. The local government too distanced itself from the festival and said it does not directly organise it.

However, it isn't clear if the outrage has had any impact on the festival.

A recent survey by Chinese national broadcaster CCTV reportedly saw 65% of the respondents agreeing that eating dog meat should be banned. However, some have said that the international attention to the festival has, in fact, increased its popularity.

The pressure does seem to have put local authorities on edge and they have asked government officials in Yulin to stay away from dog meat restaurants.

Selling dog meat is legal in China and about 10 million dogs are killed for consumption every year.