It’s hard to resist cute animal videos that grace our news feeds and they’re always a source of good vibes, but there are also some that tear us up. Trapped marine animals, animals that die because of pollution and the ones who got into accidents are just heartbreaking. All in all, animals bring us lots of emotions, both sad and happy.

There are parts of the world that treat animals quite differently as they host festivals. Instead of honoring these potential life companions, they often kill them just for the sake of killing. These festivals are part of the old culture and while it’s almost impossible to stop them, it’s up to us to do so. Thanks to animal lovers and organizations, petitions are already being drafted to stop these cruel festivals in the future.

Yulin Festival, China

Life is so much better with a pet. Dogs, cats, whatever it is, it simply is such a joy to have one. We all need cute dogs and cat videos or pictures to survive a long day at work. But in China, dogs and cats have completely different value. Every year, a Yulin Festival is being celebrated where they kill cats and dogs for their meat. The thought of simply killing them is already unthinkable, let alone cooking their meat and eating it.

Cats are also being skinned for their furThey take stray dogs and cats, even those who have owners. There are already a lot of dog owners in China who are pleading for the Yulin Festival to stop, but they are not going anywhere. Organizations such as PETA Asia are organizing movements that will educate the Chinese about animal cruelty. As long as Yulin continues, PETA will also not waver in fighting these criminals for it.

Tlacotalpan Bull Festival, Mexico

It’s always a good fun when drunks are riding a mechanical bull. But what if the bull is the one who’s drunk? That’s what this festival is all about. The annual Fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria in Veracruz takes bulls to a drinking session. They load the bull with alcoholic drinks and set them free to cause chaos. These bulls are beaten up by drunk locals before they are being drowned. Some also stab the bulls to death, but they have all the same goal and it is to kill these poor animals.

Bulls are either stabbed or drowned to death by drunk locals

Petitions are being signed worldwide so that the annual bull festival taking place in Central and South America will be put to an end.

Taiji Dolphin Drive Hunt, Japan

Huge marine creatures are just breathtaking to look at. Their intelligence is also incomparable to the rest of the animal kingdom. We have seen them in tanks and in shows, which both can be qualified as animal cruelty. But one of the worst thing humans have done is the annual drive hunt of dolphins in Japan. Taiji is celebrated every September to March, sometimes even longer.

The festival is called a drive hunt because people in boats will drive these animals in one place before killing them. Estimates of 22,000 small cetaceans are being killed annually in the drive hunt. The main reason why they do this is that they see these dolphins as a competition since they also eat smaller fish, leaving fishermen with the lesser harvest. People living in the coastal area see dolphins as pests for their livelihood.

The government also supports this barbaric behavior. They give hunters a quota with a minimum of 2,000 kills.

Grindadráp, Faroe Islands

Just like the Taiji Dolphin drive hunt, Grindadráp also attacks huge aquatic animals. The Faroe Islands is a remote island located in between Iceland and Norway. They preserve their culture despite the huge change in technology. That is also the reason why the whaling or Grindadráp continues to exist. The Faroese continue to hunt and kill pilot whales as their source of food. Because of their very remote locations, food and trade don’t usually enter their routes. Sourcing their food from these whales is one of the most practical solutions they can find.

Pilot whales are being killed as a source of food by the Faroese

Despite the many reasons of these festivals, they are still being condemned on an international scale for ruthlessly killing animals that have done no wrong to them. We all can help stop these festivals by signing a petition and sharing the information around the world.