A provocative ad campaign in China is urging citizens to stop eating dogs and cats.
The series, by advocacy group Animals Asia, features the pets framed by chopsticks in various settings. One ad includes a little girl and two dogs with the message, "What You Just Put In Your Mouth Could Have Been Your Child's Partner in Growth."
A total of 279 ads are on display at train stations, bus stations and elevators in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other major cities, Animals Asia wrote in a news release. All of the PSAs include the tagline, "Be healthy. Say NO to Cat and Dog Meat."
In addition to warning consumers of safety risks, the PSAs say the dogs are treated cruelly and note other ethical concerns. Namely, that the dog you eat could have been a loyal friend and protector.
"The reaction we have had from the public to the posters has been incredible as has been the willingness to further share the message," Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson said in the release. "Make no mistake, animal welfare is now an increasingly high profile issue in China and the dog and cat meat industry is being held to account."
According to a 2010 CNN report, the Chinese government has pondered outlawing the consumption of cats and dogs, although it remains "common practice" in some areas. Before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, officials ordered dog off the menu at local markets so as not to upset visitors.
"A ban on eating them would show China has reached a new level of civilization," professor Chang Jiwen of the Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences told the news outlet at the time.
The models from one of the ads were on hand at a Guangzhou train station to greet commuters recently.