YULIN, CHINA — Humane Society International has reported it was able to rescue 34 dogs and cats a week prior to this year’s annual Yulin dog and cat meat festival in China.

Every year at the Yulin dog and cat meat festival, 10,000 to 15,000 dogs and cats are caged, beaten, hanged, stabbed, skinned, and burned alive. Many are tortured before death under the belief that fear and abuse makes the meat tastier.

Twenty-nine dogs and five cats were rescued from a slaughterhouse in Yulin the week before the festival, which goes on for ten days. Another 20 dogs were rescued from a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Yulin on June 20, the day before the festival began.

Several Asian countries have consumed dog meat for centuries. Some Chinese cultures are believed to have adopted the practice some 400 years ago, convinced that dog meat would help ward off heat through the hot summer months. But contrary to popular belief, the Yulin dog meat festival only began in 2010 as a means for the dog meat trade to rise according to Humane Society International.

Recent polls suggest the roughly 64% of the general public in China would like to see the festival come to an end.

Many celebrities have come out in full force this year, banding together for #TheCompassionProject to help spread awareness about the cruel trade and rally support to end the festival. Comedian Ricky Gervais in particular has made a regular effort on Twitter to make sure people in the west world are aware.

Private businesses are behind the festival, and shutting it down won’t be made easy by the fact that the selling and consumption of dog meat is legal in China.

Dog theft, however, is not legal, and many of the dogs killed at the festival are noticeably collared, meaning they likely were stolen from their families.