狗肉價格在抗議殺狗聲中大漲

Animal rights activists may not have succeeded in shutting down an annual dog-eating festival in southwestern China, but they did help drive a massive increase in the price of dog meat.

動物權益保護者也許沒能讓中國西南地區一年一度的“狗肉節”停辦，但卻無意中推動了狗肉價格的大幅上漲。

Prices for cooked dog in the city of Yulin, in China's Guangxi region, shot as high as 50 yuan ($8) per kilogram over the weekend, according to Chinese media. The Beijing Morning Post said the new price was a record for the meat.

據中國媒體報道，在中國廣西省玉林市，熟狗肉的價格在上週末暴漲至每公斤人民幣50元。《北京晨報》稱，這創下了狗肉價格的新高。

China Real Time was unable to find a dog market expert to confirm whether a new record had been set. Still, one local resident told us prices had nearly doubled year-on-year -- a rise he attributed to increased interest as a result of activists' complaints about the festival.

“中國實時報”(China Real Time)未能找到一位狗肉市場的專家來證實狗肉價格是否已創紀錄新高。不過，一位當地居民對“中國實時報”稱，狗肉價格已較上年同期上漲了近一倍。他表示，這是因爲在動物保護者抨擊“狗肉節”之後，人們對狗肉的興趣反而上升。

'I bought raw dog meat at 26 yuan (per kilogram) last year and this year it went up to 40 yuan,' said the resident, who would only give his surname, Ning. 'The dog lovers are providing Yulin with free advertising. There are so many people coming here to eat, so we have to pay more.'

這位只稱自己姓寧（音）的居民表示，去年買生狗肉的價格是每公斤人民幣26元，今年已經漲到40元。他說：愛狗人士給玉林市做了免費廣告，這麼多人慕名來此吃狗肉，我們就只能花更高的價錢買狗肉。

The Yulin festival, during which participants pair dog with lychees and generous quantities of grain alcohol, takes place every year on June 21, the traditional start of summer. This year it came under heavy fire from foreign and Chinese animal rights advocates, including well-known actors and pop stars. According to local media reports, activists poured into the city to hound vendors ahead of the day, leading to violent clashes and prompting increased security.

玉林“狗肉節”在每年6月21日舉辦，傳統上這一天是夏季的開始。參加“狗肉節”的食客們會在吃狗肉時佐以荔枝並豪飲白酒。今年的“狗肉節”受到了國內外動物權益保護者的猛烈抨擊，其中不乏知名演員和明星。據國內媒體報道，在“狗肉節”的前一天，動物保護者涌入玉林市去圍追狗販，導致暴力衝突，促使當地政府加強了安保措施。

In years past, as many as 10,000 dogs have sacrificed their lives for the event.

往年在玉林“狗肉節”期間會有多達1萬隻狗成爲桌上美食。

Liang Shasha, an official with the Yulin city government, told China Real Time that dog supplies were lower this year because of stricter checks by health authorities. He said several restaurants also closed down their shops because of harassment from activists.

玉林市政府一名官員樑沙沙（音）告訴“中國實時報”，由於衛生部門加強了檢疫工作，今年狗肉供應量有所下降。他表示，由於動保人士的抗議，已有多家餐館關門。

'This year, a lot of people chose to eat at home to avoid the chaos and trouble, including my family,' Mr. Liang said. 'I went to the market that night and saw a lot of places advertising take out.'

樑沙沙稱，今年有很多人選擇在家吃狗肉，避開那些爭執和麻煩，包括我家裏也是這麼做的；那天夜裏我在市場看到很多地方貼着廣告稱提供外賣。

The Yulin government had earlier asked civil servants to try to steer clear of the festival to avoid further inflaming animal rights advocates.

玉林市政府早些時候要求公務員不要參加狗肉節，以免進一步激怒動保人士。

While the stricter health checks may have played a role in the steep price increase, locals attributed most of the jump to increased demand, suggesting that the activists may have helped expand the event they were hoping to end. Mr. Liang said some hotels had been booked full the night of the festival.

雖然更加嚴格的衛生檢疫可能是狗肉價格上漲的一個原因，但需求增加主要還是由本地人推動的，這表明原本希望勸說人們不要吃狗肉的動保人士可能反而提高了這一節日的知名度。樑沙沙稱，在狗肉節當晚，一些酒店房間都被訂滿了。

'There were a lot more people this year, including a lot of outsiders,' said Mr. Ning. 'I didn't see many people from other places last year. They came to see what all the fuss was about and try some dog meat.'

上述姓寧的居民稱，今年有更多人蔘加狗肉節，包括許多外地人，去年還不曾看到有這麼多外地人來參加，他們都想來看看爲什麼這個節日引發了這麼大的爭議，同時也試着品嚐狗肉。

Reports said some activists were seen buying dogs to save them from the dinner table, which would play an even more direct role in pushing up the profitability of butchering man's best friend.

有報道稱一些動保人士自己掏錢買狗，使它們免遭成爲盤中餐的命運，而這一做法對於推高屠宰這些人類最好的朋友所獲得的利潤起到了直接影響。