Dogs trapped on 'truck from hell' rescued before they're butchered for meat festival

Animal rights activists say they have saved dozens of dogs stuck on a "truck from hell" before they were sent to be slaughtered at a festival in southwest China.

The controversial Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, set to start on 22 June, will see thousands of stay dogs and other animals turned into delicacies, the Daily Star reports.

A video shared by animal charity NoToDogMeat reportedly shows campaigners and police stopping the truck at a checkpoint in central China as it headed from the Gaoling district of Xi'an to the festival yesterday.

As officers can be seen questioning the driver on the roadside, dogs can be heard barking from small crates as activists try to give them water.

The dogs were reportedly kept in tiny crates without water (Yulin Dog Rescue)

NoToDogMeat said the truck was illegally transporting the dogs and has since been impounded.

It added that the dogs would soon be handed over to the campaigners, who will ensure they receive veterinary care and a safe home.

This comes after the campaigners' colleagues busted another truck, which was destined to send 2,000 dogs from central China to Yulin last week.

The operation began earlier this week when in a stake-out in a village close to the city of Hebei, NoToDogMeat rescuers discovered a truck being loaded with hundreds of desperate dogs.

Rescuer Zhao pleaded with the workers to spare some of the dogs, but was told that unless he could come up with a significant sum of money their fate would be sealed.

Activists attempted to give the dogs water as the driver was questioned by officers (Yulin Dog Rescue)

Mr Zhao, 45 who runs NoToDogMeat's shelters in Beijing and Hebei, which currently house around 700 rescued dogs, said: "It has taken a long time and a lot of work to identify the truck, but we are hopeful of a positive outcome.

"They should not be travelling, and Yulin should not be going ahead.

"This rescue has been a team effort with multiple campaigners from multiple organisations, all united to stop this horrible trade and cruelty."

Julia de Cadenet, founder of NoToDogMeat, said: "It is the Chinese activists and grass roots charities who are risking themselves to act in these situations. Mr Zhao is a superhero.

"As a charity we have very few resources, but we always do our best to act quickly on information we receive, to help these poor dogs, many of whom will be people's stolen pets."