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People gather round to watch as the greyhound is carried to the boiling cauldron by three men at a busy Chinese market.

But one little boy watches in horror as the dog is lowered on a stick into the water, as many in the crowd laugh.

The dog howls in terror and makes desperate attempts to escape.

It takes two men to hold down a lid until the animal is dead.

Animal rights campaigner Michele Brown said: “This animal died the worst death imaginable.

“You can see raw fear in the dog’s eyes as its carried towards the boiling water.

“As they drop the dog into the water it screams for help, skin burning and blistering. It flails around so much, two strong men have to hold on to the lid.

“The young boy is an innocent child and he appears to be repulsed by what he saw.

"He was scared but unfortunately this probably won’t be the last time he will see a dog being boiled alive.”

These horrific video scenes have been highlighted by Michele’s animal rights group Fight Dog Meat in an effort to pressure the Chinese Government into introducing anti-cruelty laws.

At least 10 million dogs – many of which are stolen family pets – are killed for their meat every year in China, according to campaigners.

But the trail of neglect and cruelty leads back to our shores, claims another activist.

She says – although the exact history of the dog is unknown – the greyhound in the video was probably once a racing dog and could be originally from Ireland.

A British-based animal-rights group has uncovered a disturbing transportation network originating in Ireland and ending up in the Far East.

Rita James, from pressure group Caged NW, said: “The evidence shows Irish greyhounds are ending up there and we believe without the right legislation British dogs could also be sent.

“There is currently no protection for greyhounds that are bred for the racing industry, and no traceability for dogs that are no longer registered to race, or do not make the grade.

“This means they can go off the radar to be destroyed in the most horrific ways.

"The racing industry should be responsible for all greyhounds bred for racing, from cradle to grave.”

The cruelty of this video to Western eyes stems from the beliefs of a very different culture to ours.

"And it must be acknowledged that millions of Westerners eat meats considered offensive to other nations and religions.

But campaigners are angry about the cruelty exhibited in the shocking video shot in Shijiazhuang.

The city, of around 2 million in population, is the capital of North China’s Hebei Province.

Many of the dogs slaughtered to be eaten are raised in cages and pens on industrial scale farms.

But animal rights campaigners believe a large number are stolen pets sold on the black market – some with collars still attached.

In China dog is a delicacy and unlike in the Western world tougher meat is considered tastier.

Because of this traders deliberately kill animals in the most painful way possible to fill their bodies with adrenaline.

Dogs are slaughtered by being boiled alive, skinned alive or bludgeoned to death.

Sometimes animals are tied down or have their leg tendons slashed to prevent them from running away.

Michele said: “They say pain at death makes the meat better quality and tougher. It is also seen as a boost to the male libido.

“I have had it said to my face ‘when men eat tough meat, it makes them tough’.

“In the video there were a number of spectators laughing and I find that quite disturbing.”

The video was discovered by the charity on a Chinese multimedia website last month, but it is not known who took the video or when exactly it was filmed.

The sick boiling video is the latest in a string of shocking animal cruelty cases to emerge from China.

Another video from China posted in January this year showed a dog being cooked alive in a boiling wok as it tried to scramble out, and another distressing video showed a fully conscious dog being blow torched to scrape its fur away as it tries to escape.

But the country has no animal cruelty laws, meaning people can torture dogs without fear of punishment.

In Chinese zoos crowds gather to watch live animals, including cows, goats and chickens, being fed to lions and tigers.

And the country’s circuses also have a notorious reputation.

One investigation found baby monkeys and bears were chained by their necks to walls from birth.

The shackles forced the animals to stand on their hinds legs for hours on end - enabling them to perform standing tricks.

Michele added: “Unfortunately in China animals are seen as objects that can be replaced.

“I have seen hundreds of videos of dogs being boiled to death in exactly the same way.

“We are making a lot of noise and want to let the Chinese government know that we won’t stop until they introduce laws.”

Dogs - and cats - are eaten across Asia, particularly in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and South Korea.

(Image: Imaginechina / Splash News)

The trade is also active in Africa, particularly Nigeria, although in many countries pets are only eaten as a last resort before starvation.

Supporters say the tradition of eating dog meat dates back 500 years in China, with some believing it helps ward off summer heat.

But the dish has only become popularised in the last three decades, with specialist restaurants and food festivals devoted to it.

Every year over 10,000 dogs and cats are slaughtered for their meat at China’s Yulin festival.

Animal campaigners have repeatedly called for the 10-day event - in the rural Guangxi Zhuang region - to be banned.

But Chinese local government officials say they are unable to act because the festival is organised privately.

(Image: Imaginechina / Splash News)

Criminal gangs are known to be involved in the dog meat trade because of its close links to the black market.

Conditions have been improving in modern cities but rural areas of the country still have significant cruelty issues.

The RSPCA’s international team has been involved in developing China’s proposed Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

They have also carried out an education program involving 300 schools.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: “No animals in China are protected from cruelty because China has no animal protection law like we have here in England.

“For the last eight years, the RSPCA has been working closely with the Chinese authorities and other animal welfare organisations to change this and to introduce the country’s first animal welfare legislation.”

﻿A spokesman for the Irish Greyhound Board said: "The IGB has no control of events outside the jurisdiction of Ireland the IGB emphatically does not support the export of greyhounds to destinations where the standard of care for greyhounds falls below that required.

"The Irish Greyhound Board, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and welfare members of the International Greyhound Forum are committed to working together to ensure adherence to any regulatory and statutory protection for greyhounds, and for the relevant authorities to take appropriate stringent action against those who fail to do so.

"The Irish Greyhound Board is not aware of any recent exports of Irish greyhounds to Macau or China."

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