Many dogs at slaughter houses had collars - evidence that they're stolen

Authorities had promised that the practice had stopped outside festival

The annual dog meat festival in Yulin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, sees 10,000 dogs and cats slaughtered in just a few days.

To appease animal rights groups and pet-lovers across the globe, local authorities had said the slaughter had been confined to the festival, celebrated in June each year.

However, a new report has found that the brutal trade is an all-year occurrence in Yulin, with some 300 dogs and cats butchered every day - with many bearing evidence of being stolen pets.

Daily deaths: This image, showing a woman butchering dogs at a market in Yulin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, shows that the slaughter of dogs is not confined to the annual meat festival

Brutal fate: Dogs ready for slaughter stored in cages at a meat market in Yulin in south China

Streed food: Traders at Yulin's meat market skins cats by putting their carcasses in a chemical solution

Cut short: A cat is seen sitting in a cage at Yulin meat market, photographer by animal rights organisation Humane Society International on their visit last week

When animal rights organisation Humane Society International (HSI) travelled to Yulin ahead of the dog meat festival, it found shocking evidence of daily slaughter - all year around.

Dr Peter Li, HSI's China Policy Specialist, visited three dog and cat slaughterhouses where some 300 animals are butchered every day.

HSI witnessed animals being bludgeoned to death with metal rods in full view of their cage mates.

Many of the dogs and cats were seen wearing pet collars - evidence that these were once a loved family members, stolen by rogue meat traders.

Traumatised dogs waiting to be killed were kept in holding pens, the floor awash with blood.

Common food: Some 300 dogs and cats are butchered for meat in Yulin alone every day

The animal rights organisation found that many of the dogs and cats kept at the slaughter houses and meat markets wore pet collars - evidence that they could be stolen pets

Not just for the feast: Animal rights organisation HSI travelled to Yulin ahead of the dog meat festival, and found shocking evidence of daily slaughter - all year around

Heartbreaking: Dogs ready for slaughter are seen peeking out between the bars of their cages

Slaughter ready; Traumatised dogs waiting to be killed are kept in holding pens, the floor awash with blood

'This was one of the most harrowing visits I've ever made to Yulin,' Dr Li said.

'The dogs and cats I saw were visibly traumatised, their spirits broken from their terrifying ordeal.

'It's hard to imagine their mental suffering, watching other dogs being killed, disembowelled and dismembered in front of them. It was like a scene from a nightmare that will haunt me forever.

'It shocked me to see how close these awful scenes are to local schools, with a high risk of young children being exposed to sounds and sights of extreme animal suffering.

'And it is apparent from the volume of dogs, and animals wearing pet collars, that Yulin remains a hub for dog and cat theft.'

Lies: To appease animal rights groups and pet-lovers across the globe, local authorities had said the slaughter had been confined to the festival, celebrated in June each year

Terrible conditions: Cats are crawling on top of each other as dozens are crammed into tiny cages

HSI witnessed animals being bludgeoned to death with metal rods in full view of their cage mates

During his visit to Yulin last week, Dr Li found evidence that dog meat is widely available in restaurants throughout the city.

Dr Li and the HSI estimates that around 300 dogs are being killed in Yulin daily, with a high likelihood that dogs and cats are being stolen to order to meet demand.

One restaurant owner told HSI that whenever he needs dogs, he simply calls a trader and dogs are provided immediately.

There is a constant supply with at least one truck every day bringing live dogs from areas outside the city and other parts of the country.

An estimated 10-20 million dogs are killed for human consumption every year in China. It is a brutal trade that involves immense animal cruelty, criminal activity and serious risk to human health, with the World Health Organisation confirming that the trade is linked to cholera and rabies.