A pregnant dog who was almost killed for meat has given birth to a litter of puppies in safe hands.
The terrified mother was travelling on a truck alongside 385 other distressed dogs in China, heading to the barbaric Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
Moments after her escape, she gave birth to her babies with food, clean water and a bed to lay and rest.
Images captured by NoToDogMeat charity volunteers show the tiny newborn puppies suckling from their exhausted mother, at a safe refuge on the outskirts of the city of Xi'An.
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The new additions take the total number of dogs rescued on the mission to 389, all crammed into small wire cages in the sweltering heat.
Many were suffering from infections and skin diseases, and lots of stolen pets still had their collars on.
The dogs were saved by Shaanxi police, animal activists and locals who intercepted the moving vehicle that had been travelling round Chinese villages rounding up defenceless animals.
Mr Zhao, who runs NoToDogMeat shelters in Hebei and Beijing, witnessed the tender moment the mother gave birth to her puppies after experiencing such trauma.
He said: "The idea that these innocent lives have now been saved fills us with joy, these puppies would have been born at Yulin.
"We are working hard to give all of these dogs the care they need, as they have had a traumatic ordeal and need medical treatment, but they are safe now."
The dogs have been moved to a police quarantine facility for 21 days, where they will recover and receive veterinary care.
After this time, if the trafficker refuses to pay a hefty fine - which is likely the case - the dogs will be released to the activists.
Yulin is an ancient city in China known for holding a dog meat festival from 21 to 30 June, purportedly to celebrate the summer solstice where an estimated 10,000 dogs and cats are killed and eaten each year.
Far from being ancient or traditional, the festival known worldwide as 'Yulin', was created recently in 2009 to bring business to a place that was economically depressed.
It is estimated that in China alone, 10 to 15 million dogs are eaten annually - some figures say 50,000 per day.
Far from dying out, the dog meat trade is a thriving, highly profitable industry thanks to a strong network of greedy restaurateurs, meat dealers and butchers who have convinced the public that eating dog is healthful and fashionable.
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