Regina group spreads awareness about dog- and cat-meat trade

Jacky Zalposki knows her cause is a difficult one for people to stomach.

Even so, she's determinedto spread awareness to people in Regina about the brutality of the trade indog and cat meat in Asia and worldwide.

"I have a little rescue dog that I've had for about five years and that's sort of where it started," she explained.

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"Most people don't know and people need to know that this is going on, to put the proper pressure on to make it stop."

On Saturday, she and several other volunteers held a small demonstration outside city hall one of 45 worldwide.

"This is my very first crack at a protest of any kind and unfortunately, Mother Nature's not assisting me today," she said of the strong winds that blew around their signs and pamphlets.

Zalposki is a volunteer promoting the work of a group calledStop the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Worldwide.

Part of the group's focusisbringing attention to a dog-meat festival held in China every June.

• Dog-meat festival held in China despite protests

Called the Yulin festival, the event sees thousands of dogs slaughteredfor their meat.

"The things that they do to these animals alive is atrocious and there's absolutely no need for it," said Zalposki.

Graphic imagery

Some of the imagery and information passed out by Zalposki and other volunteers was graphic, but she maintains it's not to be sensational, but to showcase thereality of animal suffering.

Going forward,Zalposkihopes the more people become aware of the trade in dog and cat meat, the more pressure it will put on the Canadian government to denounce the practiceand take action.

"I call out to all the pet owners in the city. Anybody who has ever loved an animal. You need to spread the word.That's all I ask."